Fade To Black
by AliceJericho
Summary: The thing about history is that it often repeats itself. Maybe someone should have told Tessa that before she let her unresolved feelings run wild. No amount of time could heal the wounds she'd created but a few half lies and missing truths might just be the way to go. Seth Rollins/OC/Sami Zayn
1. I Wanna See You

**a/n and I'm starting a new story! I've been working on it for awhile (I think I actually started it around the same time as Enter The Fray) so I'm happy to be finally able to share it with everyone!**

**I only own Tessa (go to ****_thestories-ofagirl . tumblr Tessa_****, sans spaces obvs, for a quick little run down of the character).**

**If you've read Enter The Fray, Darcy will pop up in a few spots because they exist in the same universe.**

**Can't wait to hear what you all have to say!**

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><p><em>I Wanna See You<em>

-December 7, 2013; Winter Park, Florida-

More than one person looked up to stare at the new arrival. Anyone who knew who she was couldn't believe it. Tessa Scobille walked through the Performance Centre with her head low, very aware of the attention she had garnered. Her presence in the Performance Centre meant one thing – she had been signed. To all of the people who knew her – Hurricane Tessa was about to wreak havoc on the WWE.

"Tessa, I wasn't expecting you in." The brunette turned to see Bill DeMott standing beside her. She had been scoping out the centre in the hopes of finding who she was looking for.

"Sorry, Bill. I just came to see Seth Rollins. Is he here?" She asked in a soft and tight voice. She was clearly nervous about being there. If her voice hadn't given her away, the way she was ringing her hands together would have.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Bill asked her, watching her cautiously.

"I need to," Tessa answered wearily. Bill pointed her in the direction of the weights section and she instantly spotted the two-tone hair of Colby Lopez, otherwise known as Seth Rollins. She thanked Bill, sucked in a deep breath and slowly made her way over.

As soon as the door opened, Colby looked up at her. Anger coursed through him, he scowled instantly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked her, dropping the weights with a _bang_.

"I just wanted you to hear it from me," Tessa said quietly, she hung her head again, hating the look he was giving her.

"What?"

"I got signed," she revealed. She couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face.

"You're kidding," Colby said breathlessly and somewhat sarcastically. He definitely hoped she was kidding.

Tessa looked up at him the smile still playing on her lips. He was unimpressed. He didn't want to be speaking to her.

"Regal scouted me. _William Regal_ wants me here."

"Yeah, well I don't." His words were definite, he was trying to end the conversation but it had never been that easy.

"Look, I'm sorry. For everything. But this is my dream and I don't care what you want."

"It was great seeing you, Tessa," Colby deadpanned, continuing with his set.

"I'll stay out of your way. Colby, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here to work and that's it," she promised. She was ringing her hands together due to the people staring at her and the feeling Colby was giving her.

"Fine, I don't want to see you around." Her jaw dropped at Colby's words.

"We work together, I don't know if that's going to be possible." She quickly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shook her head.

"Look," he stopped his weights again to look Tessa in the eye. "I have a girlfriend and I'm happy and I don't need you screwing that up, okay? Congratulations on the contract but I don't want you around." A pain surged through her chest. It was very similar to the pain that had gone through her chest five years before hand when Colby told her he didn't ever want to see her again.

"I know," she sighed dejectedly. "I'm not here for you. As I said, I'll stay out of your way."

"That's not going to leave you with many people to talk to."

"Don't do that," Tessa pleaded with him, her eyes widening in horror.

"What?" Colby asked sardonically, pretending he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Start up a childish war where you make everyone take sides. I'll stay away from everyone we ever worked with, alright? I know they won't be too happy that I'm here anyway. But you can't tell everyone to stay away from me. That's not fair."

"Fair isn't how we play it, Tessa. You know that."

"Yeah," Tessa nodded sadly. She asked quietly, "Is Rami here?"

"Even if he was I wouldn't tell you where to find him," Colby all but growled at the newest Diva. "It wasn't smart to come here and find me. But Rami... That's idiotic."

"I need to tell him, too, Colby. Do you have his address?"

Colby stared at her blankly for a few moments, contemplating what she was asking of him. She hadn't changed in five years, sure she looked older but there was no mistaking who she was. To him, Tessa looked genuinely sorry about what she had done. He was proud that she had gone out of her way to tell him she had signed with the company.

He felt his friend deserved the same courtesy.

"Don't do anything stupid," Colby sighed after he reeled off Rami's address.

"Thank you," she smiled at him sincerely. "I suppose I'll see you around."

"We aren't friends, Tessa," Colby remaindered her.

Her smile faltered, "I know."

* * *

><p><em>T<em>essa pulled up in front of number 14 and swallowed the lump in her throat. She sat in her car for close to ten minutes trying to work up the courage to get out and knock on the front door. When she finally did gather the courage, Tessa quietly opened and closed her car door so as to not draw any attention. The walk up the short path was painfully slow as she second guessed herself. The only thing keeping her from turning around was doing the right thing.

She pressed the doorbell and pushed her hands into her coat pockets, looking around the front yard as she waited for the door to be answered.

The door knob turned and Tessa looked to it with a small, hopeful smile on her face. That smile disappeared completely when the person saw who was at the door and proceeded to close it instantly.

"No, Rami, please," Tessa sighed. She put a hand on the door and held it open, stepping one foot into the house to prevent him trying again.

"What are you doing here?" Tessa flinched at the hostility in Rami's voice. The expectation was definitely not to be welcomed back with open arms but it hurt to hear such malice in his voice.

"I wanted to tell you in person..." she trailed off for a moment to take in his appearance, to look at him because she hadn't in five years.

"What?" he asked with very much the same expression as Colby. Anger, confusion and pain.

"Oh," she breathed. "I signed a contract yesterday. I'm now a WWE Diva," she told him. Rami closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Developmental?" he asked her coldly, opening his eyes.

"No, I'm going straight up," she cocked her head to the side slightly. Every angle she wanted to take in. He still looked very much like the man she fell in love with seven years beforehand but he definitely wasn't acting it.

"Good. Goodbye." He closed the door, making her step back out of its way.

"Rami..." Tessa pleaded with her ex-boyfriend just as the door clicked shut. Her bottom lip trembled and she found herself hoping that it was because of the cold. She laughed pathetically when she had to blink tears out of her eyes.

She followed the path back to her car but didn't make it the whole way. Her legs gave out and she crumbled just before she reached the sidewalk.

Tessa Scobille didn't often do wrong in her life. When she did, though, it was catastrophic. Not even five years of time could heal those wounds. Not for her, not for Colby and not for Rami.


	2. I Am The Only Lonely Casualty

_I Am The Only Lonely Casualty_

-December 17, 2013; Austin, Texas-

"If it isn't June Jacobs."

"Hey Punk," Tessa smiled warmly at CM Punk, her former trainer.

"Congratulations on being signed. I knew you had it in you."

"Yeah?" she asked with a laugh. "Even ten years ago when I was a 'weedy, unathletic beauty queen'?"

"I'm known to be wrong on occasion."

Tessa was sitting by herself in catering, out of everyone's way, and Punk was standing beside her table looking down at her. It was her first day on the road with the company and no one had taken the time to introduce themselves, not that she had gone out of her way either.

"This is all so insane you know? Who would have thought I'd ever get here?" The question was more rhetorical as she remembered the years of hard work and sacrifice that got her to the WWE.

"I don't know..." Punk said, his smile turning into something more sadistic. "Who would have thought that 'Little Miss Perfect' June Jacobs would become such a dirty little whore?" Tessa looked up at him and blinked slowly. "Nothing to say?"

"Nothing at all," Tessa responded in a quiet voice, looking around the room for anyone who could distract her from Punk's tormenting. "Is that all you wanted?"

"Just wondering what changed in those three and a bit years? I could have given you everything, June." He dropped his hand, pushing a lone strand of her hair behind her ear. She flinched quickly and noticeably. "I knew you had it in you." He patted the top of her head condescendingly and began to walk away. Tessa finally sucked in a breath, unaware she had been holding it. "Evening ladies."

"Evening." Tessa looked up again, quickly blinking back a few tears, to see the reasons Punk had left her alone. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Running into people I used to know is bringing back memories," she explained before promptly standing up with a flustered look on her face. "I'm so sorry. I'm Tessa!"

"Okay, calm down. I'm Brie and this is Nikki." Both Bella Twins shook Tessa's hand, amused smiles on their faces. "Can we sit?"

"By all means," Tessa gestured to the empty seats and sat back down. The food on her plate was much less appealing after her encounter with Punk.

"I can try and get John to talk to Punk if you want. You didn't look so comfortable with him around," Nikki suggested, patting Tessa's hand as it lay on the table.

"Just silly old memories being brought up, it's fine. Thank you, though." Tessa looked at Brie curiously and spoke hesitantly, "I'm not sure Bryan would want you hanging around with me."

"Good thing Bryan doesn't decide who I hang around with," Brie retorted with a stern expression. "You look like you need a friend and we're the self-appointed welcoming committee."

Tessa was thankful for the company and for the distraction. Brie and Nikki were talking about their match later in the evening and Tessa listened intently, wanting to know as much as possible about the running of the show before she stepped out in front of the large crowd.

"What's their plan for you?" Nikki asked, directing the attention back to the new Diva. "Nothing with us involved, clearly, or we'd have heard about it."

"No, I'm working with AJ actually." She stopped talking abruptly when she realised what she had just said and the implications it had.

"Title feud?" Brie asked as sweetly as she could.

"Yeah," Tessa sighed. "I didn't want to be that person who came in and got that right away but I'm not in any position to say no to Creative."

"Of course you aren't," Nikki said sincerely, patting Tessa's hand again. "There's nothing anyone can do about it, okay? Congratulations."

"Can I ask what was with the panicked introduction? We know who you are," Brie revealed. Tessa was visibly crestfallen, raking a hand through her loose hair, closing her eyes and pursing her lips.

"I've gone through so many promotions and it's courtesy; respect for those who have been in a company longer than you have."

"More people should be like you," Nikki commented, pushing her chair back and standing up. She motioned for Tessa to stand. "I like you. Follow me."

Tessa scrambled to her feet, leaving her food forgotten at the table. She hurried to keep up with the Twins who were unnaturally fast in their high heels. Tessa had no clue as to where she was being led but she chose not to question the veteran Divas. She walked past people she remembered from the independent scene – both the North American and Japan scenes. There weren't many of them but it was enough for her to stare firmly at the ground.

"Welcome to hell," Brie joked as she pushed open the door to a locker room. Tessa looked around the room and realised it was the Divas locker room. "No, I'm kidding. It's fine, for the most part. There are the usual levels of bitchiness you'd expect from having us together all the time."

"Everyone meet Tessa," Nikki called out. Everyone stopped pretending they weren't listening to Brie and greeted the newcomer.

The reaction given by Natalya was enough for Tessa to hold her breath again. The blonde was evidently shocked to see Tessa standing in the door. She raised an eyebrow in question, a silent sign that Tessa should stay away.

"I see you made friends," AJ Lee said, almost skipping towards Tessa and the Bella Twins.

"Um," Tessa was brought back from her thoughts. "Yes, I did."

"That's good." The sarcasm in her voice couldn't be missed. Everyone in the room knew. "I figured after what went down in ROH those would be hard to come by."

"Watch it, Mendez," Nikki snarled, stepping between Tessa and the Divas Champion. "Just because you like to follow your boyfriend like the sheep you are doesn't mean the rest of us are going to follow. Keep your bratty thoughts to yourself."

AJ smiled up at Nikki with the same sadistic smile her boyfriend had given Tessa less than half an hour before.

"Don't pay attention to her," Naomi walked towards Tessa with home arms. "The title's gone to her head."

"Punk's gone to her head," Nikki muttered under breath causing Tessa to laugh breathlessly.

"I'm Trinity. Happy to have you aboard." Tessa hugged Trinity and smiled thankfully. "The Total Divas got your back." Tessa was positive Natalya wouldn't agree to that.

* * *

><p>The backstage process had always fascinated Tessa. No matter how many shows she went to she was always intrigued. The spectacle kept her entertained while the Divas had their moment in the ring.<p>

"You look new."

"I am," Tessa responded distractedly, watching everything happen.

"What brings you to the WWE? Creative? Pyrotechnics?" She pulled her eyes away from everything around her and turned her head.

"Screw you, Mox." Tessa looked away from him and crossed her arms. "You shouldn't be talking to me."

"Why's that?"

"Colby will have a fit." Jon laughed almost manically.

"What Rollins doesn't know won't hurt him," Jon told her, patting her back. "Well done, Jacobs."

"Thanks, Mox."

"I go by Ambrose now, FYI."

He stalked away shortly after, again leaving her by herself.

When the Divas walked past her after their segment only The Twins and Naomi stopped to speak to her. Natalya outright ignored her and AJ sent her a death glare.

She followed the girls back to the locker room and waited while they showered and change, discussing the business with her.

Her years of experience in different promotions left her with many stories that the girls were all excited to listen to.

She'd trained under CM Punk at ROH when she was only 18 and been subjected to endless torture because he didn't want her to get by on her looks.

She hadn't even thought of pursuing a career in wrestling until her brother convinced her to come along to an IWA Mid-South show. She'd spent the entire night backstage and as a 16 year old girl she was hooked on everything from the backstage atmosphere to the fitness and athletics. The good looking boys with their shirts off did no harm, either.

"I kind of wish I'd gone through the indies... It always sounds like so much fun to travel around like that." Brie said, dropping down onto an empty seat beside Tessa.

"You guys do enough travelling... The indies is the same except the crowds are smaller and the pay's not as good." Tessa was bluffing, there were many more differences but she didn't have enough time to list them all.

"But the crowds are the same every show, that's wicked."

"Yeah," Tessa said fondly. "You get a lot of the same people. They become as much a part of the family as everyone backstage."

"We have sign guy!" Trinity exclaimed to the amusement of everyone who was listening.

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><p>Tessa found herself standing beside her suitcase in the parking lot of Frank Erwin Center with no way to get back to the hotel she was staying in. The show had been over for roughly an hour and most personnel were on their way out if not already gone.<p>

"You look lonely, you okay?" Tessa startled when she heard Brie talking to her. She had stopped beside Tessa, her fiancé a few steps ahead.

"Yeah," Tessa said with a small sigh. "I'm fine. Just have to wait for a taxi, I guess."

"Where are you staying?"

"Hyatt Regency, it's just around the corner. The taxi ride will cost next to nothing," Tessa shrugged.

"We're staying there, too. Come on, you can ride with us," Brie offered, taking a step towards Bryan.

"Oh, no, I don't want to bother you," Tessa shook her head slowly, glancing quickly at Bryan. The last thing she wanted was sit in the car with a man she knew didn't think very highly of her.

"You're not bothering us," Brie said turning to Bryan. "Right?"

"The more the merrier," Bryan all but deadpanned, walking towards their rental car.

Tessa wasn't given a chance to rebut again. She gathered up her bags and followed the couple. Bryan silently helped her fit her things into the trunk and Tessa thanked him quietly before sliding into the backseat of the car.

"Have you got any plans for Christmas?" Brie asked, looking over her shoulder.

"I'm flying home tomorrow but I've got no plans," Tessa told her. She watched Brie's face contort in confusion.

"You don't want to spend it with your family?" Brie frowned when Tessa shook her head. Tessa didn't seem at all fazed and Brie was alarmed. "It's _Christmas_ and you're going to spend it _alone_?"

"It's been that way for five years now," Tessa revealed. "It gets easier every year. I spent the last two with Yujiro in Japan but over there they eat KFC and it's really a romantic holiday," Tessa hesitated slightly. "It's not really the same."

"Who, sorry?" Brie asked in confusion, Tessa had been speaking quicker than normal.

"Yujiro, I went out with him for about two years. He's Alex Shelley's tag team partner."

"The TNA guy? I thought Sabin was his partner," Brie was becoming more and more confused with every word Tessa spoke. Tessa couldn't help but laugh.

"The Machine Guns split up last year when Alex didn't re-sign with TNA; he's working New Japan Pro with Yujiro Kushida... Well he was, he hurt his back pretty bad back in September and we weren't really sure if he'd come back from it... But he's set on coming back at the beginning of next month."

"You still speak to him?" Bryan asked, suddenly joining into the conversation.

"Alex?"

"Either of them, I suppose."

"Well, I haven't spoken to Yujiro since we broke up... But I check in on Alex when I can."

The car went silent as the car ride ended; it had taken less than ten minutes. Bryan pulled their bags from the car before he got back in to park it. Tessa and Brie walked into the lobby but before Tessa could go to the lift and get up to her room, Brie stopped her.

"Are you sure you're okay with not doing anything for Christmas?" she asked quietly, holding Tessa's hands. "You can come have Christmas with me and Bryan, it'll be great."

"I'm fine," Tessa assured her. "I appreciate it, I really do. The fact that I've known you for a few hours and you're already treating me like family means so much to me, but I don't want to do that. Your first Christmas engaged, I can't interrupt that."

"You're a sweetheart," Brie pulled Tessa into a hug. "Give me your phone; I'll give you my number so you can call if you change your mind."

The girls exchanged numbers and Brie hugged her new friend once more.

"Merry Christmas," Tessa smiled.

"I'll see you on the 30th, making your big debut," Brie winked at Tessa. "Merry Christmas!"

Tessa turned her back on Brie who quickly became distracted when Bryan walked back into the foyer. Tessa walked to the elevators, wanting to ride up to her floor alone. She leant against the wall, her foot absent-mindedly tapping against the side of her suitcase as she watched the numbers light up when she past the floors.

The doors opened and just as Tessa took a step out, she noticed another person starting to walk in. She took a deep breath and walked past without saying anything, keeping to her promise of staying out of Colby's way.

Tessa felt his eyes on her as she walked away from him; she knew he was staring at her as he waited for the doors to close. She resisted the urge to turn back. In the past if that situation had arisen – Colby getting into the lift as Tessa exited – she would have kissed him quickly before running off down the hall with a smile on her face.

How times had changed.

When she finally got into her hotel room, she frowned at the king size bed in the room. She was sick of such large beds when she was alone; they only made her feel worse.

She went about her routine, taking off her make-up, brushing her teeth, tying up her hair and changing into her pyjamas before sliding into bed and staring up at the ceiling.

Her dream of making it to the WWE had come true but she didn't feel as happy about it as she thought she would.

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><p><strong>an So the response to the first chapter was great! I'm really glad that people seem really interested!**

**Shout outs to _jaydiebelladonna, nmoxracha, DizzyUpTheGirl01, Livin on the Edge, deanambooty, UntilNeverDawns, Imagineer1392_ and the guest for leaving their reviews!**


	3. Please Mind The Gap

_Please Mind the Gap_

-December 30, 2013; Richmond, Virginia-

Tessa was ready. She didn't have much to be ready for but she was ready nonetheless. Her WWE debut would take place after the 10 Diva tag team match. Once the Total Divas won the match, Tessa would walk out onto the stage and stand back, watching as the 'True' Divas walked past her. She didn't need to look intimidat_ed_ or intimidat_ing_; she just needed to be there.

When she had been briefed about her debut she wondered why she was debuting when AJ wasn't on the card but she realised that by making an appearance in front of the other Divas, her character _Tia _would be seen as ready for all of the Divas should the need arise. She was going to always be one step ahead of the game and she liked that.

June Jacobs was no more, forever left on the independent circuit. The WWE was her chance to start anew, to put everything in the past and she was going to do it right.

She had checked in to a hotel earlier that day, as she would be staying the night and celebrating New Years with the rest of the WWE roster. Brie had told her that they were all going to be staying in Richmond for the event and Tessa was just grateful that she was being accepted, she'd taken up the invitation instantly.

She pulled into the car park at the Richmond Coliseum and was shocked to hear someone call her out as June. Tessa raised her head as she closed the door to see a few fans crowding the fence that had been put up and she smiled, waving at whoever called out to her.

The person called out again a few minutes later just as Tessa had pulled her bags from the trunk. Tessa decided, seeing as she was early, there was no harm in walking over to speak with the fans.

"Who's the one calling for my alter ego?"

"That'd be me, sorry," he apologised. "I didn't know what to call you."

"Tia," she told him. "You want the first autograph?" He nodded eagerly and pushed a piece of paper through a gap in the fence along with a marker. A vertical stem for the T was followed by 'ia' before Tessa crossed her T so it stretched the length of the letters and dotted the end. "Not much is it? Such a boring autograph."

"It's great," he said with a wide smile. "You look great."

"Thank you." She looked down at her outfit and laughed, "I actually get to dress like me now. June and Tia have quite a different style."

June Jacobs was more prone to wearing cut up jeans or shorts with some variation of torn up band t-shirt when she had been Tyler Black's girlfriend during Age of the Fall. June Jacobs, since her debut in 2005 as the relationship of Jimmy Jacobs – her real life and kayfabe brother – and Lacey began to blossom, had always been that way. She was rough and angry, her sole purpose was to try and keep Jimmy and Lacey apart. She was Lacey's anti-thesis. June wanted her gone.

Tessa, in real life, however, was shy and proper. She dressed modestly and acted in accordance to society's norms. She didn't start fights, she didn't get into trouble and she definitely didn't meddle in her brother's relationships. Though, Tessa was a phenomenal liar. Maybe it was to do with the amount of acting that went into being June Jacobs.

"Hey, how's it going over here?" Tessa jumped slightly when Nikki appeared by her side. Tessa was deafened by the high pitched squeals when the fans realised John Cena was about to come off the bus. Nikki shrugged; to her it was all in a day's work.

"I gotta go," Tessa said after signing a few more things and taking some photos. "Be safe and respectful and have fun tonight, okay? And stay warm! You're all mad for being out here!"

Telling fans to be respectful had become somewhat of a habit for Tessa. Far too many times she had seen people shouting insults and offensive things at the wrestlers. It came with the territory of being a heel but a lot of things she'd heard had been far past kayfabe.

Tessa tugged her suitcase, her handbag resting on top of it. She didn't yet need to worry about packing for weeks of continuous travel because she only had to make appearances on Monday nights. She knew that she wasn't looking forward to the extensive travelling she'd have to go through. In Japan travel hadn't be strenuous and prior to that she booked her own shows so she was always in control. The WWE was a different ball park.

Her gaze firmly fixed on the ground in front of her, Tessa made her way to the Divas locker room. It as courtesy to introduce herself to people but she couldn't bring herself to do it when every single one of them knew her past. They already knew who she was; introducing herself would only leave herself open for criticism.

"Girl, how excited are you for tonight?" Naomi asked the second the door was pushed open.

"I am _nervous_," Tessa revealed with a huge smile. "This is actually happening."

"Nothing to be nervous about! Nothing can even go wrong!" Naomi assured her. "All you have to do is go out there and look pretty. You're half done already."

"Thank you," Tessa smiled at the compliment and looked down at her blouse. While she loved what she was wearing, she felt it to be a bit frumpy. Long sleeves and a curved collar. She voiced her thought.

"It's lovely," Brie said, walking into the room. "If that's who Tia is, then there's nothing wrong with it."

"I'm wearing high waisted jeans under it, I'm a prude," Tessa laughed despite herself. Naomi and Brie both shook their heads and again told her that she looked perfectly okay. Tessa let it go but couldn't help but wish she'd at least worn something with shorter sleeves.

Brie dragged her along to make-up. It had been a long time since Tessa had had her makeup professionally done – her Senior Prom was her only memory of it – and she felt slightly confronted when her face was practically redone.

"Sweetie, you're about to go on a stage with many, many lights. And while you looked gorgeous, on camera you'd be paler than the Irish."

Tessa understood eventually, but she didn't like it when her hair was tousled and doused with hairspray. They were putting far too much in for her liking; she hated having to watch the stuff out.

Her decision to wear a long shirt suddenly seemed less disastrous when she thought about the lights and the cameras and how they would look on her skin given she hadn't been for a spray tan in almost two months. She'd become complacent in everyday life and not having to rush around since her release from JWP Joshi Puroresu and Ice Ribbon.

Spray tan was put on her list of things to do alongside a facial and a mani-pedi. All of which she would have to do before she was put on house shows, too.

They made their way to catering, sitting down beside Nikki and the other Total Divas, Tessa noted Natalya's absence. Tessa was quite happy to watch how everything ran, just staring into space until Nikki got her attention.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"The party," Tessa answered. "Like everyone else."

"Yeah, of course, but you do have dinner plans?" Nikki questioned, leaning forward with a cheeky grin.

"Room service." Tessa's answer was met with boos from the other Divas; she elbowed Brie in the side. "What?"

"Please, room service before a party? No, that's lame," Nikki said without hesitation. Tessa would still have to get used to her forthright behaviour. "Brie and I are having dinner with the men, you can join us."

"No!" Tessa answered quickly, hitting her knee on the underside of the table as she jumped up. The other Diva's laughed, all listening to the conversation interestedly.

"Ouch," Brie put a hand over her heart. "We aren't _that_ bad."

"Sorry, over reaction." Tessa hung her head for a moment. "Fifth wheeling? Been there, bought the t-shirt."

Nikki grinned again, the cogs ticking over in her mind. She stated definitely, "We'll get you a date. No problem. All of the boys back here would _love_ to get a piece of you."

"Nikki," Brie scolded her sister. "Sex is actually all you think about, isn't it?"

"If Bryan was as good in bed as John, you'd be the same." The look on Brie's face led Tessa to believe that it wasn't the first time Nikki had used than in an argument. Brie seemed slightly annoyed but mostly indifferent. "Honestly, anyone you're interested in?"

"Please don't set me up," Tessa piped up, her voice pleading. "I don't want to date within in the company. I tried that and it's hard."

"You haven't found the right person," Naomi interjected. Tessa had been given a run down by Brie about the relationships within the company and in her head she connected Naomi to one of The Usos.

"Okay," Tessa relented. "Not now. Not so soon."

"Anyone you got your eye on, boo?" Cameron asked her with a wink.

"No," Tessa answered honestly, shaking her head. She pushed some hair out of her eyes and saw that all of the Divas were staring at her in disbelief.

"Fandango?" Cameron suggested, earning a unanimous laugh.

"Brad Maddox?" Eva Marie asked excitedly, pushing her chair closer to the group. "He's pretty fine." Tessa shook her head but laughed anyway, it was clear the Divas were trying to help her.

"Antonio Cesaro," Naomi offered. No one noticed the colour drain from Tessa's cheeks – probably hidden by the mountain of make-up she was sporting. The women all gushed over his accent and his genuine personality before Tessa could respond.

She did so loudly.

"No!" She protested, louder than she had to the fifth wheel suggestion. She had pushed her seat back and was standing away from the table.

Brie gazed up at her with concerned eyes. She stood up, too, taking Tessa's hand and leading her away from the group and the attention she had garnered.

"What's the matter?" Brie took both of Tessa's hands and searching her face for something. All she saw was panic. "You and Cesaro?"

"No, no," Tessa shook her head, ashamed by her outburst. In a small voice she spoke again, "Bryan told you. Everything. Right?"

"Yeah, he did. I don't care, Tessa." Brie nodded her head as she spoke, trying to assure her friend as best as possible. "Know that, okay? That was back then and we've all done some stupid shit. We're friends now, right? And that comes with all the baggage. I can give you some pretty good stories, too."

"Thank you," Tessa smiled warmly and took a deep breath. "He was there when it happened, you know? Like Bryan. They know what went down and saw it first hand... I'm trying to avoid those people."

"I'll remember that," Brie squeezed Tessa's hands before letting them go. She pushed Tessa's shoulders back and lifted her chin. "Nothing happened. If you act it, it's true."

"What did I do to deserve you?" Tessa asked in disbelief. "I haven't had a decent female friend since 2008."

"Guardian Angel. Who comes with the evil stepmother," she gestured discretely to Nikki as they walked back to the table, Tessa still with her head up and shoulders back. "I told Nikki... I know it's not my place, but she's my sister and-"

"I was the same with my brother, I get it."

"Sure." As they sat down, Brie leant over to whisper in Tessa's ear so the others wouldn't hear. "I think you need to tell the others. I'm sure they know parts of it, but your side of the story is most important."

"You'll get it soon, I promise," Tessa whispered back. "It's just been a long time since I've spoken about it."

"Secrets!" Naomi protested, snapping her fingers in their faces. "None of that, what are you talking about?"

"She's a bit nervous," Brie covered quickly. "Veteran tips for the newcomer."

"She's more of a vet than you are," Cameron reminded Brie who pulled a face.

"I know nothing about a crowd this big," Tessa threw in, ending the conversation.

* * *

><p><em>-Live on Raw-<em>

The True Divas were walking backwards up the ramp while the Total Divas all huddled over Nikki in the ring.

Not one of them saw Tia walk out onto the stage. The crowd murmured and a few people pointed at her, Tia did not react. She watched, expressionless.

Soon enough the Divas noticed her and stared at her in confusion, Aksana asked who she was but was given no response.

"Freak," Rosa laughed directly in Tia's face but still Tia did not flinch.

The Total Divas slowly made their way up the ramp once the others had disappeared behind the curtain and Tia was still standing there. Her together and hanging in front of her, Tia cocked her head to side slightly as Nikki took a step towards her.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" Nikki waved her hand in front of Tia's face but still the new Diva did not flinch. Nikki looked at her sceptically before Brie tugged her arm and pulled her through the curtain, following the others, leaving Tia on the stage by herself.

She moved to stand directly at the top of the ramp and looked down at the ring. A smile formed on her face; genuine, huge. She threw up a quick peace sign to the crowd before turning on the heel of her boot and disappearing behind the curtain, just like everyone else.

* * *

><p><em>-Off Air-<em>

"See, I told you nothing could go wrong," Naomi said pointedly to Tessa who couldn't stop smiling.

Instead of following everyone to the locker room, Tessa sat in front of a screen so she could watch the rest of the show. Bryan Danielson had always been her favourite person to watch in the ring. Not even her brother could make her feel so proud to be a wrestler.

She jumped – for the third time that night – when a hand wiped at her chin. She looked up at the person with confusion in her eyes and panic in her veins. When she saw the person who had touched her, she huffed, crossed her arms and slid down into her seat. There were no greetings necessary, she decided, and stared up at the television as Jon Good pulled a chair up beside her.

"You were drooling a little bit, thought I'd get it before anyone else saw," he told her with a teasing voice.

"I was not," she said back shyly only for him to laugh at her. "What?"

"I spoke to Jimmy yesterday," Jon revealed. "He seems to think you've been ignoring him."

"And if I am?" she asked him, tearing her eyes away from the match – Eric Rowan had just begin his match with Bryan.

"He's cut you didn't call him up when you got signed," Jon stated, moving his chair so he was facing Tessa.

"I haven't spoken to him since _all of that_. Why would I call him up just to say that?" She asked him in a tight voice. Her brother was someone she didn't like speaking about.

"Maybe because he's the one who got you into the business?"

"If you're finished," Tessa said, knowingly very well that Jon had only just gotten started with her. "I have places to be and things to do."

She stood up and walked away, she could feel his eyes on her and she pictured him shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

Tessa turned the corner and stopped walking. Leaning against the wall she swallowed the lump in her throat and willed away impending tears. Of course her brother knew where she was. Of course she should have told him first.

It was every little mention or thought of her brother that made Tessa realise just how bad she had messed up; just how much she had missed her family. It made her realise how difficult it was going to be to fix all of that.

* * *

><p><strong>an: I cannot thank everyone enough for being interested in this story at this very early stage! I hope I can keep you enticed throughout!**

**Extra super duper special thanks to _deanambooty, UntilNeverDawns, Tootertoad85, Livin on the EDGE, nmoxracha, alibob687, Imagineer1392, ajroleplays_ and _CarolReigns_ for taking the time to review!**

**I'm going to try my hardest to keep updating every two days, too!**


	4. But You're Not Mine

_But You're Not Mine_

-December 31, 2013; Richmond, Virginia-

Tessa knocked lightly on Brie's hotel room door. She had been told to meet the girls there are 6 and from there they would meet John and Bryan downstairs. Tessa was happy to know that they hadn't found her a date.

Nikki opened the door, looking Tessa up and down immediately, checking out what she was wearing. She huffed lightly before turning around. Tessa followed her in slowly, looking down at herself.

"Brie, Tessa can't come with us," Nikki called out, looking at Tessa over her shoulder.

"Why's that?"

"Because she looks better than us!"

Tessa, who had been genuinely worried she wasn't allowed to go to dinner with the Twins, let out of a sigh of relief. Her cheeks flushed red.

Brie's head appeared around the corner and she wolf whistled at her newest friend, "No way! The guys won't even pay attention to us if she looks like that!"

"Guys, don't be stupid," Tessa said quietly, holding her winter coat in front of her. "You both look better than me."

"Stop being modest, you look hot," Nikki pulled her further into the room to get a proper look at what she was wearing. The black coat was taken out of Tessa's arms and she was made to spin around. "I'm borrowing this dress."

"Your boobs won't fit into it," Brie said. "Mine, on the other hand, will. _I_ will be borrowing it."

Tessa nodded with a smile on her face. Nikki slugged Brie in the arm. Brie hit her back but the fight didn't escalate beyond there. If it had, Tessa was quite accustomed to being the referee between her two older brothers and she would have been ready.

"We're ready if you didn't need to do anything else." Tessa looked at Nikki and shook her head.

The three made their way to the elevator, complaining about the weather they were about to encounter when they left the hotel. Tessa made a comment that she was the only one who _really_ had to worry because she had no one to keep her warm. The twins wrapped their arms around her as soon as the words left her mouth and promised they wouldn't let her freeze to death.

She was left for dead when they walked into the lobby and Brie and Nikki made a bee line for their men. Tessa trailed behind slowly, wanting to give them time for hellos even though it can't have been very long since they last saw each other.

"We haven't actually met," John Cena said, holding his hand out to Tessa. "I'm John."

"I'm Tessa, it's an honour." She shook his hand and smiled at him in awe.

"Nah, none of that," John shook his head. "You're one of us now. Family."

The look on Bryan's face showed that he didn't agree with what John was saying. Tessa smiled at John thankfully before looking back at the ground. She felt someone's arm in the crook of her elbow and noticed that they had started to walk off.

Dinner was only just down the street from the restaurant and Tessa was surprised to see that a limousine had been hired to get them there. She was accustomed to small taxis with rude drivers.

The look of the restaurant said it all – everything on their menu was going to be expensive. Tessa had decided it would be wise to practically starve herself the entire day so she could get the most out of it. She didn't often eat at ridiculously expensive restaurants so when she allowed herself the luxury she splurged.

She sat awkwardly at the table beside Nikki, sitting opposite no one. She was the fifth wheel just as she had expected. The couples at the table did their best to include her in their conversation, and most of the time they succeeded, but every now and then they would lapse into their own little world, leaving Tessa to stare into space.

"So Tessa," John called her back into reality. "Nikki was telling me that you're going to be up against AJ."

Tessa nodded, "Me staring into nothing at the top of the ramp is me waiting for AJ to finally make an appearance at a show. It's leading to a title shot at some point."

"Must be nice to have the company so invested in you," Bryan said casually, looking directly at Tessa.

"It is nice," Tessa agreed. "It's also very daunting."

"You're an internet darling," John said with a chuckle. "You can't do much wrong when the internet loves you."

Tessa smiled discretely to herself. She knew how the internet reacted to her, she had known for many years. They followed her career religiously. No one seemed bothered by the fact that she never divulged too much about her personal life – it had been too much of a disaster to let everyone in on all the nitty gritty details.

"Let's hope Tia gets as good a reaction as June Jacobs."

"That might be hard to beat," Bryan commented. "June got as good a reaction as the top stars on some nights." He laughed, "More than once I was worried that I couldn't top her coming out."

Tessa was relieved that Bryan had started treating her normally. They seemed to have lapsed back into their past friendship. She leant forward slightly, happy to reminisce with him.

"I had so much fun as a heel," she admitted shyly. "It was exhilarating having so many people hate me. Riling them up was so easy. And then getting them to like me again... Probably should have been harder than it was."

"June Jacobs had a way of working the crowds," Bryan agreed with a laugh, eliciting one from everyone else at the table.

Dinner finished and John made to pay for everyone's meals, it was clear that Brie and Bryan had stopped trying to argue with him but Tessa had a hard time coming to terms with it. She never liked people paying for her; it was pride that stopped her from accepting gifts and the like. Eventually she had to give in and let John pay for her or they would have caused a scene in the restaurant.

"You didn't have to do that," Tessa said quietly, walking beside John as they exited the restaurant.

"You're family," he responded simply.

She hadn't felt _at home_ in a wrestling company since her time at Ring of Honor. She had a few close friends in Japan – Yujiro and Alex, of course, but mostly the gaijin that came through because she hadn't ever learnt enough Japanese – but the companies had never really felt like family.

She hadn't seen her real family since October 2008.

As the night moved on, the group returned to the hotel. The New Year's celebrations were being held in the ballroom. People had already started the evening; music was playing and drinks were flowing. Tessa let her friends go about their business; she'd had enough of being a tag along to the couples.

"Long time no see, Jacobs."

"Creed! Hey!" Tessa exclaimed, leaning in to hug Austin Watson – better known as Consequences Creed or Xavier Woods. "We both made it, hey?"

"Didn't I tell you we would?" He reminded her and she thought back to his last day in New Japan Pro. He hadn't been with the promotion for long before he was swept up by WWE but they had become friends during the few months. With his last appearance he told her that she was going do to great things and that they'd be seeing each other again.

"Never wrong, are you?"

"Let me get you a drink," Austin said, gesturing towards the bar.

Tessa laughed lightly, "It's an open bar."

"I said I'd 'get' you one, nothing about buying," he explained. Tessa smiled, agreeing to his offer.

Austin let her walk just in front of him, allowing his hand to drop around her waist casually. When they reached the bar Tessa decided that the evening's poison was going to be Perfect Manhattans. Austin made a joke about her typically girly drink but ordered it nonetheless.

"You should go cloak your coat," Austin suggested, still holding onto her drink. "I'll be right here."

She smiled at him and walked to the designated cloaking area – smiling at the lady who took hold of her coat. Tessa was left in her purple and black, scoop neck, Alexander McQueen dress. She bought it months ago on a whim and hadn't worn it before that night. She figured that there was no better time than a WWE party where all of the Divas would be dressed to the nines.

Tessa was handed a ticket and as she walked away she opened her bag to put it in. Not looking where she was going, Tessa found herself bumping into another person. She quickly lifted her head, blushing in embarrassment.

"I'm so s-" she cut herself off when she saw who she had bumped in to. She finished in a quiet voice with her head hanging, "sorry."

Colby looked down at her for a long second before he continued walking, leaving Tessa staring at her feet. He was wearing the same suit he'd worn when The Shield presented a Slammy Award in early December and there was no way she could stop her heart from beating rapidly in her chest.

Making her way back to Austin, she looked around subtly to catch another glimpse of Colby. She had known he was going to be there, everyone was. Seeing him still managed to mess with her head.

"You look great," Austin said when Tessa returned to his side. She smiled at him thankfully and took her drink, instantly bringing it to her lips.

* * *

><p>It didn't take too long for Tessa to drink her self-consciousness away and make her way to the dance floor. She wasn't the greatest dancer by any means – she dreaded the day she had to compete in a dance-off on live television – but with a few drinks she started to just enjoy the music.<p>

She started to enjoy Austin, too.

Dancing was something Tessa did as long as she was alone. She was never much one for having another body pressed up against her but Austin somehow weaselled around that.

Time was on no one's mind as they danced in the middle of the dance floor, Austin's hands roaming over Tessa's body. She kept her eyes closed and, though she wouldn't ever admit it, she imagined that they were someone else's hands. She definitely should not have been thinking about Colby's hands.

The hand on her lower waist moved away only seconds before the one on her ribcage. She turned around quickly to see Austin walking away, looking like a scolded puppy and Colby Lopez standing not far away, his cheeks red and chest heaving.

"What was that for?" Tessa asked, following him off to the side of the dance floor. She tried her hardest to keep a straight face, not wanting to give anything away. She _had_ just been imagining _his_ hands had been all over her body.

"You don't dance like that," he said roughly, turning his back to her.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked angrily, turning him around forcefully. "I just _was_ so clearly I _do_." She argued with him. It was obvious that people were listening to them; no one tried to hide it.

"You aren't that girl, Tessa."

"I didn't think I was the girl to cheat on her boyfriend," she spat at him. "But that happened, didn't it? Let me dance how I want. Leave me alone like I promised you."

Colby was left with his jaw slightly dropped and wide eyes when Tessa turned on her heel and stormed away.

At first she had every intention of trying to find Austin but she quickly gave up – finding any one particular person was near impossible. Instead she took a seat beside Jon Good and took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.

"What was that about?" Jon asked, glancing at her.

"I don't know. Something about that not being how I dance... Not that he should know – or care – it's been so long."

"His girlfriend's not here. He needed something to do." Jon was silent for a moment. "No kiss for you, then?"

"Not unless you want to do the honours," she was joking and it was emphasised by how ridiculously she batted her eyelashes.

"Spoken for," he told her, tipping up his glass and drinking the rest of his beer. "Darcy Quinn."

"The NXT Diva, right? Is she in Florida?" An image of a tiny, rebellious blonde entered her mind.

"She came up last year and refused to let me pay for her flight again," Jon explained, somewhat mournfully. There was an undercurrent of laughter to his voice.

"No kiss for you either, I suppose," Tessa joked.

He chuckled, "We're in the same boat."

Midnight drew nearer and everyone got louder. Tessa had never really understood the excitement that surrounded New Years Eve. As far as she was concerned, January 1 was exactly the same as December 31 – only she was more likely to have a hangover.

She leant back in her seat and watched as everyone began to count down. Colby was still across the room, looking at her over his beer.

The scene felt far too familiar, it sent her mind into a whirlwind of nostalgia.

* * *

><p><strong>an :D lots of hugs and kisses to _TheLovelyCanche, UntilNeverDawns, Livin on the EDGE, Imagineer1392, CarolReigns, nmoxracha_ and _ajroleplays_ for taking the time to review the previous chapter!**

**Next chapter is a flashback that will elaborate _a lot_ on things said this chapter. Can't wait to read what you all think about this chapter!**


	5. She's Got a Boyfriend Anyway

_She's Got a Boyfriend Anyway_

_-July 19, 2008; Grand Rapids, Michigan-_

"You didn't have to do this."

Tessa leaned into the body that had appeared behind her, resting the back of her head on the shoulder of her boyfriend. He wrapped his around her waist, holding her to him. They watched over the kitchen counter, their friends filling the house she shared with her older brother.

"I wanted to." She smiled as he tightened his arms; she moved hers so they covered his and giggled when he started to sway them from side to side.

Tessa had decided months in advance that she was going to throw her boyfriend a birthday party. Rami Sebei didn't seem too fussed that he was turning 24 but Tessa Scobille had never passed up an opportunity to throw a party.

"I love you," he said into her ear, kissing the top of it lightly.

"I love you," she repeated warmly, her heart beating quicker. It had been two and a half years since they first met – a year and a half since they started dating – and he still made her feel exactly the same way.

He pulled away slowly, his hands lingering on her waist as Chuck Taylor walked towards them. Rami shook his hand and Tessa leaned up to kiss his cheek in greeting. Rami followed him to the porch, leaving Tessa inside.

Nearly every room in the house had people in it, a testament to just how many friends Rami had made on the independent circuit. Even people who he had never been on a show with had come along to celebrate.

It might also have been a testament to Tessa's hosting abilities – her parties had become something of legend.

"Looks like you've really outdone yourself." Tessa was brought back to reality by the voice of Colby Lopez. There was no way to stop the huge smile that formed on her face or the way she instantly went to wrap her arms around his neck. "Tessa..."

"It's just a hug," she protested though she knew she was lingering to long and his hands were hanging just a little low. She pulled back with the same smile and couldn't help but gesture to her dress, silently asking for his opinion.

"You always look great," he told her quietly, taking in her outfit. The pattern on her maxi dress hurt his eyes but the way it fit her was impossible to notice. "No heels today?"

Tessa kicked her foot out from underneath the dress and wiggled her toes, "barefoot!"

"Careful, then," he warned, looking around slowly.

"He's outside," Tessa sighed. "We're not doing anything wrong." Colby sent her a pointed looked and she frowned at him. "What?"

"I'm going to pretend you're right." He walked away before he'd even finished speaking and Tessa rolled her eyes at his back.

Finally leaving the kitchen, Tessa walked through to the lounge and took a seat on the arm of the couch beside Lacey who was in the middle of a conversation with Austin Aries and Roderick Strong.

"I'm officially hiring you for my next party," Lacey looked up at Tessa and grinned. "This is pretty insane."

"I hardly did anything," Tessa said modestly. Lacey slapped her leg. "I just bought some food and put together a playlist."

"And the food's great and the playlist is kick ass. You did well, hon."

Austin and Roderick agreed wholeheartedly causing Tessa to blush, lower her head and push a strand of hair out of her face in embarrassment.

The trio continued their previous conversation with Tessa half listening. Whenever a new person walked into her house – there was a seemingly permanent open door policy – she greeted them with a smile and a wave as they passed her.

On occasion she could see Rami through the large window and he was pulling faces at her in the middle of his conversations. She smiled at him and laughed lightly at his stupidity. She blew him a quick kiss and grinned when he pretended to catch it.

"You two are nauseating," Roderick pretended to gag which prompted Lacey to thump him over the back of the head.

"Get a girlfriend and then you can talk." Roderick mimed punching Lacey's nose only to have her swat his hands away. "Where's your brother, anyway?"

"God knows where," Tessa looked to the door to see if it was her brother who was walking through the door. "I don't know who that is," she turned back to face Lacey quickly, after being caught staring at the newcomer.

"Moxley," Austin told her. The four of them turned to see Jon Moxley greet Rhett Titus.

"That's what he looks like?" Tessa asked, genuinely surprised. "Not how I pictured him."

"Where were you when he had his ROH matches?" Tessa shrugged. "Anyway, that's Moxley and he clearly heard about the party."

The brunette nodded her head, knowing that he wasn't the only person in her house she had never met.

She ventured outside not much later in search of her boyfriend. Exiting through the sliding glass door she realised that there was different music playing outside, someone had put their own playlist own because she did not listen to Lil Wayne. She had to move quickly because the hot stone was burning her bare feet, leading her to be running through her backyard.

A squeal left her mouth automatically when she felt a pair of arms around her waist just before she was thrown over someone's shoulder. Tessa gripped onto the person's hips, holding on for dear life.

"Let me down!" She cried out. She knew better than to struggle, too many times had she dropped to the ground and landed in dangerous positions. "Rami!" She knew his jeans, and his ass, too well.

He walked them over to a shaded area, setting her back on her feet with a cheeky smile. Tessa huffed childishly at him and squealed again when he pulled her closer to him, his hands lingering on her hips.

He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, Tessa could feel his warm breath. "We need more ice."

Tessa pulled back and rolled her eyes. "Do we now?" He nodded with a completely serious expression on his face. "Then I better go get some."

"Who's going to drive you?" Rami asked, lightly taking hold of Tessa's hand when she went to turn away. She smiled at him sweetly and leaned forward to kiss him.

"I'll try find someone who's sober." She looked around quickly and then back to Rami, pulling an unsure face. Evidently, everyone had been drinking.

"I saw Colby about 5 minutes ago, he was pretty sober."

Tessa nodded her head but remained silent, looking back over her shoulder to see if Colby was anywhere in sight. It was far too easy for her to keep a straight face as she looked for him; she was far too good a liar.

"I'll go find him." She turned back to her boyfriend and smiled up at him, winking playfully. "Do you need anything else?"

"More beer."

"More?" Tessa asked incredulously, knowing that she bought more than enough earlier in the day.

"More people showed than you thought."

"Yeah, Jon Moxley's here," Tessa told him with a confused, furrowed brow.

"I told him he should come," Rami revealed and Tessa looked at him surprised. "We're friends."

"I didn't know that," Tessa said, somewhat amused. "But okay, I'll get more beer."

"Don't be gone too long," Rami said as he leant down to kiss her lightly. She turned around to walk away; he held her hand until she was out of reach.

The search to find Colby didn't take too long at all. He was hiding out in the rumpus room, watching the billiards game being played out in the centre of the room. Tessa walked straight over to him, nudging Chris Hero with her hip, causing him to miss the would-be-perfect, winning shot.

"Tessa!" Hero shouted in frustration, slamming his fist onto the side of the pool table. "I had it, too!"

Tessa didn't respond to him verbally, but she did offer an innocent smile slight shrug. She slid up casually beside Colby, taking the beer from his hands and taking a sip of it. As always, she grimaced at the taste.

"Every time." Colby took back his beer, looking at her from the corner of his eyes. "Want something?"

"Yeah, are you okay to drive?"

"This is my first."

"Good! Can you take me to get ice?" she asked him, watching as Claudio Castagnoli pocketed the eight ball to win. His celebration was stopped prematurely when Hero tackled him from behind.

"Ice?"

"Yeah, apparently it all melted," she responded, acting totally bewildered.

"The sun'll do that," Colby muttered, quickly drinking the rest of his beer. "We can go now?"

Tessa nodded and began walking towards the staircase that led her up to her kitchen, Colby only a few steps behind her.

The music changed again – the guys' heavy rock being replaced for Tessa's pop – and disappeared all together by the time they reached Colby's car.

Tessa had never learnt to drive. She was not quite 22 and she'd never so much as started an engine. Getting her licence had never been a priority when both her older brothers were around to drive here anywhere she wanted to go. A general fear of getting into a car accident also stopped her.

As Colby drove to the store, Tessa watched him with a small, dreamy smile. She reached out and touched the hair that was hanging by his shoulder.

"It's longer than mine," she told him, causing him to look at her briefly. He had the same smile on his face as she did on hers. He took his right hand off the wheel and touched the hair hanging by her chin.

"That's because you chopped it off." Tessa moved her hand back to her own head, pulling her hair in front of her face.

"It looks terrible doesn't it?" she asked dejectedly. "I was sick of black and I just wanted it gone. I shouldn't have done it."

"What are you talking about?" Colby asked, taking hold of her hand and letting it rest on her knee. "It looks great, Tessy. I like it better than the black."

She had dyed her hair black at the beginning of Age of the Fall, leading into a darker character who was essentially the antithesis of her real-life self. The decision to cut it all off into a choppy bob and dye it back to her natural colour came after a offhand comment from a friend at college telling her that she didn't suit Goth.

Inside the store, Tessa began to regret not wearing shoes because her feet stuck to the ground every other step. There was a moment where she contemplated forcing Colby to give her a piggy back ride – but people there knew she was with Rami. She couldn't risk being caught.

She happily let Colby choose what beer to get, knowing all too well that she would mess it up and buy the worst tasting imaginable just because it was on sale. She just as happily watched him carry a slab on each shoulder as though they weighed as much as two bathroom towels. Tessa carried two bags of ice out just as easily though Colby looked much more impressive.

Halfway back to the house, Tessa turned to Colby and turned down the radio.

"Can you pull over for a second?" She asked casually, prompting Colby to look at her worriedly.

"You alright? You're not going to be sick are you?"

"No!" She couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. "Just pull over!"

He put the car into park and killed the engine, only to have Tessa unbuckle her seatbelt, lean over and kiss him the instant his hands were off the gear shift. No time was wasted in reciprocating the kiss; Colby's hands came to rest in her hair, his thumbs brushing her cheeks softly. Tessa smiled into the kiss, lifting off the seat so she could lean closer. Her hand gripped Colby's collar, keeping her close.

She didn't care that he still tasted of beer or that he was holding her head a little too tightly. He didn't care that her lips were dry or that his seatbelt was digging into his stomach. They continued to kiss each other until they needed a breath, only to pull apart for half a second and kissing again.

Tessa was the one to end the kiss, pulling back with her eyes closed and bottom lip between her teeth. Her hands still gripped his collar.

"I missed you," Colby whispered quietly, using his hands to fix up her hair. Tessa opened her eyes and smiled at him softly.

"I missed you." She relaxed her hands and smoothed out his shirt. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her breathing was far from normal, but she knew how to put on an impenetrable facade. "We should get back."

Colby sighed and started the car, his hand dropping to rest on her thigh as soon as they were back on the road.

Tessa sang along quietly to the radio on their way back and her hand was lightly holding onto Colby's.

"How long is this-?"

"You can end this, too."

Tessa had exited the car before it was even in park and she had taken the ice from the trunk before Colby could even open his door. She walked past a group of people – some she knew, others she didn't – and she had no plan to stop until she saw her brother sitting on the front steps.

"Need help?" he asked, standing up to take the ice from her. She let him have the bags without protest – they were beginning to hurt her fingers.

"Where were you?" She questioned, walking behind him closely. "People started showing up _two hours_ ago."

"I was with mum and dad, you know that."

"You left _three_ hours ago!" Tessa said incredulously. "You had to return a Tupperware container!"

"She made food, I couldn't say no."

"Jimmy!" Tessa implored, still following him through the house and back outside. The hot stone felt like fire on her feet, but she chased him through the backyard nonetheless. "A call maybe? A text? Maybe let your girlfriend know?"

"Jesus Christ, you make it sound like I've been gone for a year." Jimmy dropped the ice beside the two large buckets and placed his hands on Tessa's shoulders, looking her in the eye. With a laugh he said, "June, calm the fuck down. Everything's fine."

Tessa shrugged his hands off and used a hand in the centre of his chest to push him away, "Don't swear at me."

She huffed at his laughter and then again when she was picked up and moved out of Colby's way. Everyone outside cheered when Colby began to fill up the beers, a few even stepping forward to slap him on the back.

Tessa took the opportunity to run through the shade towards her boyfriend, tucking herself under his arm when she reached him.

"Thanks, T," Rami said, kissing the top of her head. She smiled up at him, kissing his chest lightly, before looking back at the unwarranted celebration. Her cheeks flushed red and her breath hitched in her throat when she caught Colby looking over at her from across the yard.

* * *

><p><strong>an and that's not even everything ;)**

**Hugs, kisses and chocolate for _deanambooty, Livin on the EDGE, Tootertoad85, UntilNeverDawns, nmoxracha, alibob687, CarolReigns_ and _Imagineer1392_ for their reviews :)**


	6. Safer on the Ground

_Safer on the Ground_

-January 1, 2014; Richmond, Virginia-

"You disappeared early last night."

"We lost you when you went to dance with Austin, didn't see you again for the rest of the night."

Tessa was startled by Nikki and Brie's sudden appearance. She had been so engrossed in the newspaper that she had momentarily forgotten that she was in a public space. They both took a seat at the table – Brie looking around for a waiter so they could order their breakfast.

"I only stayed long enough for the countdown," Tessa told them, folding up the newspaper and pushing it to the corner of the table. "Not much fun when you're alone."

"Alone?" Nikki asked incredulously. "Girl, we _all_ saw you and Woods. You were dry humping each other."

Tessa's jaw dropped and she felt her cheeks heat up. She protested, "_We were not_."

"You kind of were," Brie said much to Tessa's embarrassment. She promptly hid her face in her hands. "And it was wildly entertaining. But I'm confused why you think you were alone."

"Colby kind of ensured that."

Nikki was just about to ask what she was talking about when a waiter came over and asked if they needed any help – the twins ordered breakfast while Tessa ordered another coffee because she knew she was going to need it.

"Explain," Nikki demanded, watching intently as Tessa shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"He just got really weird and made Austin disappear. I don't even know how to explain it. I can't believe you didn't see it. It wasn't exactly subtle." Brie and Nikki shared a look, trying to recall if they had seen the outburst. They shook their heads in unison. "Told me that wasn't how I danced. That I'm not that girl."

"You looked very much like that girl," Nikki said without hesitation. "You worked that dress and that ass. You were _born_ to dance like that."

Tessa shook her head slowly, looking down to her hands as they rested on the table. Nikki continued to gush over her dress from the night before and the conversation slowly morphed back into Colby's reaction to Tessa's dancing. The newbie said nothing, just watched as the twins hypothesised about his behaviour, all theories were suggested – including that Colby still had feelings for her.

"_Clearly_ he does," Nikki stressed. "No one reacts like that just because."

"He has a girlfriend," Brie interjected quickly. "He really loves Leighla, have you seen those two?"

Tessa closed her eyes at the mention of Colby's girlfriend; she knew nothing of the woman. Leighla hadn't been around all those years ago but there was no way for Tessa to stop inserting her into the memory and imaging how much more catastrophic it would have been.

"Of course I have, but when was the last time he saw Tessa?" Tessa looked up at Nikki instantly and her mouth gaped at how blatantly they were about to discuss her life right in front of her. "And it was kind of sudden, right? A lot of unresolved feelings."

"Can you talk about this another time, maybe?" Tessa muttered weakly just as the waiter came back with her coffee.

"Sorry," Brie apologised, reaching a hand out to squeeze Tessa's. "We get a little caught up sometimes."

"But you're going to have to talk about it sooner or later," Nikki smiled sadly at her. "Might as well get it out of the way?"

Tessa shook her head and stared into her cappuccino, "Not today."

Brie and Nikki started a new topic, noticing just how negatively Tessa was affected by the talk of Colby. Both twins consistently looked to her, waiting to see if she was going to join their conversation about the previous night's party. She didn't take the bait, though. Tessa was barely listening to them, only picking up a few words in every sentence. Her attention was being held by a couple eating breakfast together. They were sitting at a window seat – just as Tessa and Rami always did – laughing and generally just enjoying each other's company. She couldn't tear her eyes away.

"You know them?" Brie asked, looking behind her to see the couple Tessa had been staring at.

"No," She shook her head. "The just reminds me of..." Tessa hesitated briefly, "Me. She looks like I did when I was 21. She _dresses_ like I did – skirts, tights and boots were my go to winter outfit. And that scene... It's exactly what Rami and I used to do."

The twins were taken aback by the mention of Rami Sebei, Tessa's first 'official' boyfriend. Brie looked at Tessa sadly while Nikki was blown away that she had even mentioned him – she was going to seize the opportunity to ask questions.

"You sure you two were that cute? I didn't think that level of adorable was possible."

"Maybe... Roderick always told us we made him sick – but he said that about everyone."

"How long were you together for?"

"A year and a half. I was 20 when we got together. Jimmy wasn't happy," Tessa laughed to herself, remembering her brother's reaction when he found out.

"Why do you call him Jimmy? I mean he's your brother, right? Jimmy's just a ring name." Nikki glared at Brie as though she was growing three heads – she did not like that her chance at information had been taken from her.

"He's been wrestling as Jimmy Jacobs since he was 15, I was 13. He kind of just became Jimmy," Tessa said with a slight shrug, a small smile on her face. "That and when I started going to shows, asking for 'Chris' never really worked; Sabin, Hero, Daniels... Anyone who had 'Chris' has a ring name, that's who I was given directions, too. Jimmy just became easy. He _is_ Jimmy."

They didn't stay at the cafe much longer because Brie and Nikki had to be on the road so they could get to the next house show.

The moment they stepped back into the hotel, Tessa had to make a quick getaway. The camera crew for Total Divas were filming a 'confrontation' between Summer Rae and Eva Marie and the last thing Tessa wanted was to be caught on camera. She'd been told that there was no guarantee that she wouldn't at least be in the background of some scenes but that did not mean she wasn't allowed to try her hardest to avoid it.

* * *

><p>-Flint, Michigan-<p>

After nearly three and a half hours on a plane, a stopover in Cleveland and a twenty minute taxi ride Tessa was finally home.

Michigan was always going to be home. The city she was living in didn't matter to her, she just knew that Michigan was where she felt the best.

She moved from Grand Rapids to Ardmore, Pennsylvania after she graduated from high school and got accepted into Bryn Mawr College. Tessa said since she was thirteen that she wanted to go to a women's liberal arts college so when the time came to apply for colleges, she applied to 6 of the best in the Midwestern and north eastern states. She lived in Ardmore until just after she graduated from college, and then she moved back to Grand Rapids before she moved to Japan a month and a half after her 22nd birthday. Now she was living in Flint and she was more than happy with her decision.

The first thing that needed to be done was to go next door and let her neighbours know that she was home. She'd promised the Marsh's 17 year old daughter fifty dollars if she got her mail and fed her fish while she was away.

But before she even did that, Tessa walked into her house, setting her suitcase by the door, and checked to make sure her fish were still alive – she was quite fond of them and did not want to pay someone for killing them. She noticed her mail on the table beside the large fish tank and flicked through it, hating that in only three days she'd received a handful of bills.

"Hey fishies," she smiled to her 6 Angelfish. "Good to see Hailey didn't kill you."

Venturing over to the Marsh's, Tessa took in her snow covered street. It was clearly a tight knit cul-de-sac, something that had been solidified the day she'd moved in. People were at her door with cookies and puddings to welcome her to the neighbourhood, all of them being quick to tell her that if she ever needed anything all she had to do was ask.

While she waited for someone to come to the door, Tessa finally realised how cold it was. The three layers she was wearing did little to keep her warm even though the top layer was her woollen coat. There was no missing the light snow, but she had become so accustomed to snow that barely even registered.

"My word, it's freezing! Come inside, come inside!" Tessa had barely any time to react to the opening door; Mrs Marsh was pulling her inside hurriedly and closing the door. The wafting smell of brownies was the first thing Tessa noticed, eliciting a small smile.

"Mrs Marsh, I just came to give Hailey her money," she stated as she was ushered further into the house.

"Don't be silly, have a coffee. Hailey and Ben are baking." Just as Tessa opened her mouth to protest, Mrs Marsh continued, "Surely one coffee won't hurt."

"One coffee won't hurt," Tessa agreed.

The closer they got to the kitchen the stronger the smell got. Memories of her own teenage years raced back to her, warming her heart. They walked into the room and two 17 year olds lifted their heads, the mixture covering both of their faces.

Hailey burst out laughing and was soon followed by Ben, neither able to say anything. Their joy was contagious and Tessa's smile was instant. Her teenage years hadn't been full of baking and laughing – she had been far too focused on getting a perfect SAT score and GPA to have any fun – but she had always found happiness contagious.

Hailey finally regained her composure and started to speak while she licked her fingers clean, "When do you have to leave again?"

"Monday just for the night, Monday after that I leave for two nights and the week after that, I leave Friday and I'm gone for two weeks." Tessa's answer came slowly as she tried to work out her schedule.

Tessa told Hailey the dates she was going to be gone and they organised how much money she would earn for the two weeks Tessa was away. It was at that moment that Tessa realised just how much little time she was going to spend at her new home.

* * *

><p>As she walked through the snow back to her house – Mrs Marsh had convinced her to stay for two cups of coffee and spent the entire hour and a half asking Tessa as many questions as she could about being a professional wrestler – Tessa thought back to how quickly she was going to become part of WWE's hectic travel schedule.<p>

The independent scene, in her eyes, hadn't been half as exhausting as what she was expecting from her new job. Most of her time on the indies she had been a valet for Age of the Fall, and she only really took matches that were on the same card as her brother which made it difficult when many promotions didn't have women's divisions.

The tales she had heard from former WWE superstars were endless and filled with sleepless nights and minor breakdowns. Backstage politics, bitch fights and general bad mouthing were rife – she had already experienced it herself from CM Punk and his girlfriend, AJ Lee.

Tessa, again, found herself wishing she had kept her job in Japan purely because of the lack of travel and general backstage arguments. That was, of course, until she reminded herself that WWE was her dream job – it was where _everyone _wanted to make it. She'd made it too far to back out.

* * *

><p><strong>an As always thanks to my reviewers: _deanambooty, Livin on the EDGE, UntilNeverDawns, Imagineer1392, nmoxracha, Straight Edge Queen, alibob687_ and _ajroleplays._ Also, thanks to everyone who has alerted this story! I hope everyone continues to enjoy it!  
><strong>


	7. I Hated That I Let You Down

_I Hated That I Let You Down_

-January 20, 2014; Dayton, Ohio-

There was only so many ways you could greet people. Tessa had exhausted all of them by 11am because she had been through three airports and on two planes. And she'd landed in Dayton, Ohio – a place that she'd never really enjoyed being. There was no way to describe it but Ohio didn't sit right with her.

"Look at you all dressed up," Nikki said as she elbowed Tessa. "Trying to impress someone?"

"Everyone I work with," Tessa deadpanned. "But I'm about three flights away from wearing sweatpants. Or I'm going to get really good at changing in airport bathrooms."

Tessa liked to dress up, that wasn't a secret, but in winter it was difficult. The many layers necessary to keep from freezing meant a restricted level of movement that was a pain in the neck when flying. Even wearing a dress became laborious – she had taken to wearing camisoles underneath but they bunched up at the most awkward times and her thickest pair of tights may have kept her legs warm enough but they had a habit of twisting uncomfortably.

"I want your boots." Brie dropped into step beside Tessa. "I think I just want your wardrobe, to be honest."

"We should take her shopping with us."

"Oh, definitely!"

As usual, Tessa let the twins speak around her, not much caring that they were talking about her. Shopping was a harmless topic and infinitely than the conversation they had a week prior. She listened as Brie and Nikki planned a shopping trip for when Tessa was on the road constantly – it was only a week away, after all.

"Are you on the main card tonight?" Tessa asked, breaking the short silence that had settled over them.

"Nope, not tonight," Brie answered with a small frown. "It sucks but Total Divas is still filming and everything."

Tessa groaned, "Don't remind me."

"It's not bad at all, half the stuff that happens isn't even real and what is real is dramatised."

"I know," Tessa assured Nikki. "I'm just not interested."

It was let go as the trio made their way to the Divas locker room. Tessa didn't stay any longer than she had to, only putting her bags down, because AJ and Natalie had stopped talking the second she entered. It was becoming clearer every week that AJ was not looking forward to working with Tessa but the feeling was definitely moving towards mutual.

The backstage halls of the Nutter Centre were as busy as always with people running around chaotically trying to put the final touches on the shows set up. It was necessary to manoeuvre out of the way if someone came barrelling towards you at full speed – the production team never stopped for anyone so close to the beginning of Superstars.

* * *

><p><em>-Live on Raw-<em>

Tia had walked onto the ramp just as the match had began – exactly like the week before – she watched the tag team match intently, applauding the efforts of all the Divas. She winced slightly when Tamina ran at Naomi with the big boot, sending the Funkadactyl to the ground.

AJ was tagged in. In a pre-victory celebration, she skipped around the ring with a twisted smile. Briefly she stopped to look at Tia, a 'what do you want?' look that no one could have missed. It was during this time, though, that Naomi was able to recover. AJ was rolled up, letting Naomi gain the pin fall and the win.

As quickly as possible, The Funkadactyls exited the ring. Nobody wanted to be in the ring with an angry AJ. As they exited, Tamina rolled in to check on her friend.

The winners made their way up the ramp towards a smiling Tia. She applauded them as they passed her, earning smiles from both of them. They both nodded slowly at her as they supported each other through the curtain.

AJ and Tamina made their way up angrily, AJ thrashing around, talking to herself while Tamina had on her most brooding face.

"What are you looking at?" AJ seethed at Tia.

"Bad luck," Tia responded sincerely causing the champion to growl at her.

Tia stood back as AJ and her protector disappeared behind the curtain, she turned to the crowd and shrugged at them.

"She's not very friendly, is she?"

_-Off Air-_

Almost as soon as she was out of Gorilla, Tessa was called to the music truck. She knew the reason behind the meeting and she couldn't help but smile and walk at a quicker pace.  
>WWE's music producer Jim Johnston had been working on her entrance music from the second she'd been signed. He was waiting for her in Connecticut so he could immediately get a feel for her and her new character.<p>

"Tessa! I have something for you!" The immediate greeting was enthusiastic and Tessa jumped up the steps into the truck. "Do you know the band Imagine Dragons?"

"They have that one song... _It's Time_, right? It did pretty well in Japan," Tessa stated, trying to play the song through in her head.

"We managed to get them on board to record your music," Jim revealed causing Tessa to beam enthusiastically.

"That's great! I liked that song, it was fun."

Jim smile at her gratefully, "That's good to know. Take this and have a listen, we've named it _Curse_."

Reaching out to take the iPod from Jim, Tessa was definitely intrigued by the name.  
>The song played through once, Tessa getting a feel for the music - she enjoyed the beat and the guitar riffs greatly - and then again so she could listen to the lyrics properly.<p>

"This isn't by any chance based off my life?" The question was hesitant but it had to be asked. The lyrics, to her at least, were that of a girl who fell in love all too easily and had a habit of running.

Jim smiled meekly, "It may have provided some inspiration but we gave it a new twist. To give the fans a reason to believe that you might fall for them, too. That you're attainable even if you don't know who they are."

Tessa understood immediately, "I'm the new girl next door."

"Exactly. The idea is to start it at the end of the chorus, to have 's_he barely knew your name' _play and then just the music while you walk to the ring."

"I love it," she admitted honestly, putting the iPod back on the table. "I'm going to need a copy of that. So I can listen to it on repeat and practice my entrance."

Jim nodded, "I'll find you a USB. You can have it for free – it's your song after all."

* * *

><p>Naomi, earlier in the night, had promised Tessa a ride to Grand Rapids. Naomi and her boyfriend – Jey or Jimmy, Tessa was always forgetting – drove with Cameron regularly given the Divas' close friendship, and they had no problem with Tessa tagging along for the trip.<p>

Except that Naomi had completely forgotten that she'd promised to drive Tessa to the next city and was long gone by the time she made it out of the arena.

Tessa dropped down onto her suitcase outside the arena, ignoring the looks from the equipment crew and the few straggling fans. She only had one choice: take a taxi to the airport and pray for a redeye flight. It was going to cost her a lot more than she wanted to spend but everyone had already left.

"Jacobs!"

She looked up from her phone, seconds away from calling for a taxi, but couldn't see the owner of the voice. She knew who it was – that voice was unmistakable – and she looked around, her hair whipping around her face as she did.

"Ambrose?"

"What are you doing?" She saw a car door open and Jon stepped out, resting one arm on the roof and the other on the door.

"Calling a taxi," she answered, holding up her phone.

"Get in the car," he ordered casually moving to get back in the car.

"No, it's fine."

"Get in the fucking car, Tessa. I'm not saying it again." He got back into the car and slammed the door behind him.

Tessa stood up and lugged her suitcases over to the car. The trunk popped open and she heaved them inside. She was struggling with her larger one and Jon must've noticed because he got out to help, effectively pushing her out of the way.

"Don't swear at me," she scolded him when her last bag was put away.

"Don't argue with me, then."

He pointed to the left side of the car, telling her that was where she had to sit. It clicked in her mind at that point that Colby was also in the car.

"Jon, I can't-"

"What'd I say about arguing?"

Tessa nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. She pulled the door open and slid into the car without looking to the other sit. She kept her eyes trained on the back of Joe's head. She could feel a set of eyes on her.

In exasperation she sighed and leaned back into her seat, "I was fine."

"Yeah, catch a taxi. It'll cost you a grand." Jon said as Joe pulled out of the hotel.

"I was gonna get on a plane," Tessa tried to explain but it fell on deaf ears. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Seth looking at her curiously. Slowly she said, "he wouldn't have taken no for an answer."

"I know."

* * *

><p>Tessa had fallen asleep about an hour into the trip, the rigorous travel schedule was finally catching up to her and she could have slept for hours but she woke up to the sound of Jon and Joe talking to each other in the front seat.<p>

"Five years in Japan?" Joe asked trying to be quiet

"Yeah, she couldn't get any work out here for awhile."

Tessa felt a lump rise into her throat instantly; she knew what they were discussing.

"Why's that?"

"Man, that's not a story I can tell you." Despite just how bad her legs felt, she stopped herself from stretching. She didn't want to alert either man to the fact that she was awake, going as far as to keep her eyes closed.

"Colby didn't seem too happy that she was coming with us," Joe pushed causing Jon to slam a hand on the wheel. Tessa opened her eyes slightly, watching Joe's face contort as he tried to think of a reason.

"Alright, you're being a nosy prick. What I'm telling you almost everyone knows and I'm surprised you don't. Tessa was dating Generico for two years or something but come the end of 2008 Gabe Sapolsky – the head booker at ROH – says that he was sleeping with her."

The short, bittersweet version was exactly that and Tessa bit into the inside of her mouth – both to stop from saying something and to stop herself from crying.

"No way," Joe said in absolute disbelief looking at Jon trying to gauge his reaction. "Tessa?"

"That's not even the kicker," Jon checked over his shoulder to make sure both people in the back were still sleeping. Tessa quickly closed her eyes, pretending to still be asleep. Her heartbeat had quickened considerably and she knew she was definitely about to cry – her lip had started to quiver.

"There's more?"

"So, naturally Generico was ready to take it to Gabe... Only thing is, Colby got there before him. It was worked out that she'd been cheating on Generico with Gabe _and_ that idiot," he gestured behind him to Colby who was still fast asleep.

"Hey Jon?" Tessa asked quietly, finally deciding to speak up. She could feel the lump in her throat getting bigger and bigger, her stomach was churning.

"Yeah?" He asked somewhat worried that she had heard what he told Joe. He played it cool.

"Can you pull over for a minute?"

"Sure," he did as she asked and as soon as he had stopped the car she had unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door and left the car. With the door wide open, he could hear her dry-retching on the side of the road.

"I take it she doesn't like to be reminded of it."

"No one would hire her after that," Jon continued. He'd already done the damage; he figured he might as well let Joe know the whole story.

"Because of that?"

"The blow up. No one would work on the same card as her. Gabe left ROH and Full Impact Pro because of the backlash. Tessa got an offer in Japan and she took it."

"How do you know all this?"

"I'm friends with her brother – who she hasn't spoken to since it happened." He added with a sigh, before calling out loudly to her, "You okay out there, Jacobs?"

"Just give me a moment." She called back before actually vomiting onto the grass.

"Japan was good for her, have you ever seen her wrestle?"

"I don't think so," Joe responded, looking out to Tessa and grimacing. She was crouched down with one hand on a knee and the other keeping her hair out of her face.

"She was trained by Punk at Ring of Honor. Darcy was trained there too... And you know how Darcy's sort of just brutal?" Joe nodded. "Tessa's the most graceful person I think I've ever seen in the ring. Punk wanted her to wrestle well, didn't want her getting by on her looks. She's got finesse."

"I'll watch out for it next time."

Tessa reached into the car to grab a water bottle so she could rinse her mouth out. She had heard everything Jon had said after she left the car because had hadn't been quiet about it.

"We probably shouldn't talk so loud," Joe suggested, watching Colby stir in the backseat.

"He'll sleep through anything, I wouldn't worry." Tessa, as she climbed back into the car, looked to Colby who was still very much asleep, just changing his position. She'd been on many car trips with him and knew that he could sleep through even the loudest music. "Did you want me to drive for a bit, Jon?"

* * *

><p>"Why did you let her drive?" Colby asked the second he woke up, half an hour had passed, whacking Jon across the chest with the back of his hand.<p>

"She offered," Jon shrugged, whacking him back. Tessa looked back over her shoulder briefly.

"She can't d-"

"I got my license a couple years ago, calm down."

"You actually got your license?" He asks in disbelief, leaning forward to speak to her better.

"I kind of lost everyone who could drive me and taxis were getting expensive," Tessa explained. "I got it in Japan, believe it or not. International license."

"It's about damn time." He leaned back in the seat. "How much longer?"

Joe worked out that it was still another half an hour until they made it to Grand Rapids and Tessa said that she was okay to drive the rest of the way. Mainly because if she had to focus on the road she was less likely to think about her family – most of whom still lived in her hometown.

"You didn't get your licence when you were 16?" Jon asked, actually realising what Colby had freaked out about.

"I didn't need to; I had 2 older brothers and friends with their licences," Tessa shrugged. "And by the time I started wrestling I didn't really want it. I decided that I'd much rather pay extra for gas than have to drive for so long."

"You never, _ever_, went on a road trip alone with Tessa. You'd be driving for hours without break," Colby added. "I tried it _once_, four hours later I wanted to kill myself."

Tessa huffed dramatically, "I'm not that bad!"

Colby launched into a story that consisted of her constantly changing the channel, needing a bathroom break every 45 minutes or so and asking to stretch her legs far too often.

"You weren't complaining, then!" Tessa argued with him but her laughter was filling the car.

"Yeah," Colby agreed before adding without thinking, "Because I was in love with you."

The silence was abrupt and tense. Tessa's jaw dropped open slightly and she momentarily stopped breathing. Joe looked at her worriedly, Jon stared straight ahead of him, an 'oh shit' expression covering his face. Colby had no readable expression his face, but he was clenching his fists by his side and wishing he had never opened his mouth.

Joe opted to discretely turn up the radio's volume, hoping to diffuse some of the awkwardness that had filled the car.

When they finally arrived in Grand Rapids it was nearing 4 in the morning. Getting out of the car was a slow process for Tessa as she had to mentally prepare herself for the freezing air she was about to be hit with. Colby, on the other hand, had opened the door as soon as Tessa put on the handbrake. It was clear that he regretted what he had said.

Joe had offered to park the car for Tessa, telling her to check into her room and get some sleep. She was thankful for late night check-ins. Pulling all of her things into the elevator – she had purposely waited until Colby and Jon had gone up to even stand near them – Tessa realised she didn't even feel tired. She was wide awake, most likely because she couldn't stop thinking about Jon's conversation with Joe. Or what Colby had said.

* * *

><p><strong>an soooooooo what do you think? Thanks to _The LovelyCanche, Straight Edge Queen, UntilNeverDawns, Livin on the EDGE_ and _nmoxracha_ for reviewing!**


	8. We Don't Fight Fair

_We Don't Fight Fair_

-January 21, 2014; Grand Rapids, Michigan-

Tessa soon came to realise that Smackdown was just as hectic a place as Raw. Somewhere along the way she had deluded herself into thinking that the two hour event would be less of a hassle – she had seemingly forgotten that no television broadcast was easy.

Her appearance for the night was almost identical to that on Raw; Tia would stand at the top of the ramp and watch the match at hand. She was getting quite sick of being an entirely inactive participant of the show but that was to change at the next Raw.

Neither hide nor hair had been seen of Colby since he disappeared into the elevator earlier that morning and Tessa was pretty grateful. She wasn't sure how she could have a mature conversation with him after his slip up regarding their past relationship – their affair.

"Tessa!" Naomi got the newbie's attention loudly from across the room, rushing towards her. "I am _so_ sorry, girl! It completely slipped my mind until we were an hour into the drive! Jon and Ariane were being whiny and I just wanted to get onto the road."

Tessa watched Naomi's mouth move a mile a minute, barely understanding much after the apology she was speaking so fast.

"These things happen," Tessa said, holding onto Naomi's arms in an attempt to stop them from waving around. "It's fine, honest. I got here, didn't I?"

"You didn't have to fly, did you?"

"No, no," Tessa said with a reassuring shake of her head. "I went with The Shield boys. They were some of the last to leave and Ambrose has trouble taking 'no' for an answer."

Naomi laughed with Tessa, agreeing wholeheartedly that Jon Good was a very stubborn man. Naomi apologised again for leaving Tessa at the Nutter Centre before she was called over by Cameron. AJ and Cameron would have less than 2 minutes for their match, but, as always, they would make it count.

Tessa sat idly by watching the short discussion about the match start and finish and thinking about how close she was to home. Sure, Flint was where she owned a house but Grand Rapids was where she'd grown up. All of her best memories took place in Grand Rapids and that to her meant home. Her parents weren't too far away; she could probably go visit them after the show and not be there too late. Not that they would mind at all. They hadn't seen their daughter in years; they would welcome her back with open arms no matter what time of day. Only, Tessa didn't have any plans to do that. She was going to pretend it didn't kill her inside.

"Come on," Naomi said, pulling Tessa off the steel chair. "We have to get our faces done."

June Jacobs was pale. She was supposed to look pale and sickly, so Tessa had only ever had to put on light make-up when wrestling – enough to hide blemishes and the bags under her eyes. The amount of make-up being caked on before a WWE show was still something she had to get used to.

* * *

><p>Her on screen time lasted all of two minutes where she got to do exactly as she had the previous night, stand at the top of the ramp and watch AJ Lee wrestle.<p>

It was becoming clearer to the WWE Universe that Tia was looking for AJ – though no one knew who she was. The commentators traded ideas back and forth but none of them had even seen her backstage let alone talked to her.

Tia was a mystery to everybody.

After their match Tessa waited patiently in catering for Naomi and Cameron to change. She had even fewer friends on the Smackdown circuit than she did on Raw.

It was just her luck that AJ had finished getting changed before either of her friends.

"We should have a little chat," AJ said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"What do you want to chat about?" Tessa asked with an exhausted smile. "We don't have to work together until next week. We don't have to be friends."

"That's what I wanted to speak to you about... We could be friends. There's no reason we couldn't."

"Other than your boyfriend."

"I can make friends outside of him," she laughed. It was faker than Tessa's new tan.

"I don't think that would be good for either of us. Did you know that Punk wanted to get in my pants? Well, Punk's wanted to get in everyone's pants. I don't know how you do it. Walk around with him and be around all of the women he's slept with."

"I'm trying to be nice!" AJ screamed at Tessa. Tessa stood up from her seat to walk away from the confrontation, except AJ wasn't happy with that.

The movement looked entirely accidental; AJ moved her arm in the wrong way and just happened to split Gatorade down Tessa's front, getting her chin, chest and stomach.

"I'm so sorry!" AJ apologised loudly, pretending to try and help Tessa. Her hands were slapped away as Tessa forced a smile onto her face.

"You are unbelievable," she said through her smile, quickly rushing out of catering.

There was nothing elegant about her escape, she had to dodge someone walking in thus running into the corner of the door and she was pulling her dress away from her chest and stomach to stop it from clinging.

"What did you do, miss your mouth?"

Tessa sighed heavily as Jon Good's voice met her ears. She had barely made it out of catering when he appeared in front of her, sitting off to the side as he taped up his hands and wrists.

"Why are you everywhere I don't want you to be?"

"It was a different story last night, though, wasn't it?"

Tessa rolled her eyes, "You make it sound like we got busy in the back of a car."

"If we'd left you two alone, you and Rollins might have-"

"Are you going to help me at all or just make fun?"

Tessa huffed, looking down at her dress and stomping her foot. Images of doing the same to AJ flashed through her head but she knew that she would never do that to someone, regardless of how they had treated her.

"It's just water," Jon said, dropping the tape into a nearby box, "it'll dry."

Tessa sighed, "If it was just water I wouldn't be like this. It's Gatorade."

"Have a shower."

"With Princess AJ in the locker room? I wouldn't be surprised if I walked out to find my clothes up in flames." It wasn't an exaggeration in the slightest; Tessa was genuinely concerned about being in the champion's presence. She had dealt with cattiness for years and she knew that there was almost no low that could not be reached.

Jon snorted, "Use ours then and you can stop complaining."

"You don't have to be nice to me just because no one else is," Tessa said as she finally gave up on her dress, letting it go and grimacing as she felt the material cling to her skin. She looked up at Jon who was shaking his head.

"I'm being nice because I want to be, it has nothing to do with how anyone else is treating you. Do you want to use the shower or not?"

"Yes please," she answered meekly, looking down at the floor.

"We've got a match and shit so you have enough time to clean yourself up and be out before we need it." Tessa nodded in understanding, he was just trying to save anymore awkward situations. She didn't have the energy to tell him off for swearing.

* * *

><p>Tessa was unable to believe just how good the shower felt. The water pressure at home was terrible. She never felt sufficiently clean or relaxed but the Van Andel Arena had definitely delivered. What was supposed to be a quick, 5 minute shower turned into a 30 minute long spa session.<p>

Getting out of the shower, Tessa wrapped a towel around her and walked out of the wet area. She knew that she had been in the shower longer than intended so she began to dry off quickly – only she didn't know just how little time she had to get changed.

She had barely been able to pull on her underwear when the locker room door opened and The Shield walked in.

"Man, my knee's stiff as-" Joe's complaint was cut off when his eyes landed on Tessa's bare back, as she scrambled to cover her breasts. Jon and Colby looked at him, waiting for him to continue, but when they walked further into the room they knew why he had stopped.

"Aw, Tessa, my birthday was last month," Jon said with a slight smirk.

"What the fuck?" Colby asked, tearing his eyes off of Tessa and looking at Jon. "This is your doing."

Tessa finally shook the panic out of her head and managed to pull on her bra before she continued to properly dry her legs. She tried her hardest to ignore the men.

"What?"

"It's always your doing." As Colby blamed Jon, Tessa busied herself by pulling on a long sleeved shirt and hurrying to get on her jeans. The three men went about getting ready to take their own showers, but not before Jon made one last comment.

"Blue is a great colour on you," he told Tessa with that same smirk playing on his face, clearly talking about the navy blue shade of her bra and panties. Tessa didn't say anything, but she did start to blush. "What?" Jon asked, confused when Colby thumped him over the back of the head.

"Stop lookin' at her, man," he grumbled to his friend.

Jon laughed, "You've been staring at her ass since we walked in here."

At the statement, Tessa bit the inside of her cheek to stop a smile growing on her face. In any other situation she would have sat down to pull on socks and boots but she chose to keep facing the wall so that no one would see how red her cheeks were.

"Both of you," Joe cut in, his voice booming over the others, "Need to shut up and keep your eyes to yourself. You have girlfriends."

The three men sporadically disappeared into the showers but Tessa never once looked at them. It was much easier to continue getting changed and doing her make-up than to face any of them after she had been caught near naked in their locker room.

"Your parents are here," Jon said casually when he returned to change into his street clothes. Tessa didn't pay him any attention at first, figuring that he was talking to one of the guys, but what he added caught her off guard. "Nick, too."

"What?" She gasped, quickly turning around to face him.

"Your family is here. Jimmy sent me a text earlier, I was going to tell you but you were covered in sugar water."

"They're here?" she asked him, her arms falling to her sides in what appeared to be defeat. "I didn't even _do_ everything."

"Maybe they wanted to see you," Jon suggested in a stern voice and Tessa pouted. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, Tessa, but you need to think about checking in."

With sad eyes she shook her head at him and turned back around to face the wall. She began piling her belongings into her suitcase, no method about it, and getting ready to leave the locker room with what was left of her dignity and that meant getting out before Jon, Joe or Colby saw her start to cry.

With a small wave and thank you to Jon as she wheeled her suitcase out the door, though she didn't make it very far. Turning around a corner into a dead-end, Tessa stopped and sat down on her suitcase. She stared blankly at the wall and felt her lip begin to quiver. The hair that was falling in her face didn't even bother her nor did the lumpiness of the suitcase beneath her.

There was no possible way she could have stopped the onset of tears. She couldn't stop picturing her parents in the crowd. She knew they would be proud of her, regardless of anything that had happened, and it made her heart swell to know that they had been able to see her live on a WWE show. Wrestling or not, her parents and oldest brother had seen her as she was starting to live out the dream.

She heard the door open to the locker room and prayed that men would walk the other way. A sob left her mouth before she could cover it resulting in all three stop talking and the sound of suitcases rolling ceasing. Footsteps drew closer to her so she deliberately shook out her hair to hide as much of her face as possible.

"Tessa?" Colby's voice caused her to whimper and bury her face in her hands. "What's wrong?" She refused to look up at him, knowing that it would only make her cry harder. "Tessy..." The nickname brought on a fresh wave of tears. Colby squatted down in front of her, but kept his hands to himself.

"I ca- I – I messed up _so_ bad," she mumbled. "They're here... My parents are here. Nick's here."

"That isn't anything to cry over. They're proud of you."

"How do I fix this? How do I fix everything I ruined?" She pleaded with him for an answer, moving her hands from her face to grab at his wrist. She looked at him with red eyes, "Tell me how to fix it."

"I don't know, Tessy," Colby sighed, dropping so that he was sat on the floor and pulling her into his lap. "Please stop crying."

He held her to his chest, his chin resting on top of her head and his hand holding the back of it. As Tessa continued to cry hopelessly, all the while wondering if she should go see her family, Jon and Joe stood around the corner and let Colby comfort her.

* * *

><p><strong>an Thank you to _UntilNeverDawns, Imagineer1392, Tootertoad85, nmoxracha, deanambooty, Livin on the EDGE, Straight Edge Queen_ and _msgemgem_ for taking the time to review the previous chapter!**

**What do you guys think so far? Of Tessa as a character or the story in general? I know it's early days but is there anything you'd like to see happen or anything you'd like to see more of?**


	9. I Count My Sins

**This chapter contains mentions of sexual abuse.**

* * *

><p><em>I Count My Sins<em>

-January 25, 2014; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-

Tessa had flown into Pittsburgh a day early. Brie and Nikki were able to convince her that they needed to see all of Pittsburgh's hidden secrets and that she was the only one who could show them. No amount of protesting or trying to delegate the job to Bryan had gotten her out of it.

They were standing across the road from Floyd's – a regular haunt for all those who ever appeared on a Ring of Honor card. It looked straight out of an 80s movie and Nikki's face paled a little. She was used to less than stellar diners – you had to be when you travelled as often as she did – but Floyd's definitely took the cake for dingiest place she'd ever dined in.

"I can't say that I ever imagined you _enjoying_ eating in a place like this," Nikki commented after they were seated. "It's a bit of a hole."

"The indie circuit doesn't pay as well as WWE," Tessa reminded her. "They have good food here and it's cheap."

"Yeah," Nikki nodded slowly, "looks like it."

Tessa smiled at her lightly and shrugged – they asked to be shown Tessa's old stomping grounds and that's what they got.

They ate their food and Nikki slowly warmed up to the diner as she ate and realised that the food was pretty decent given what they were paying. Everything tasted like a home cooked meal and it was exactly what every wrestler wanted when they were on the road so often.

Being back at Floyd's reminded Tessa of her time at ROH and that eventually led back to her affairs. She sat in silence, contemplating everything that had happened.

"What's on your mind?" Brie asked as Nikki snapped her fingers in front of Tessa's face. Tessa, startled, flinched at the sudden noise and turned to the twins, breathing in deeply.

"I think I want to tell you about all of it," she stated causing both of them to look at her curiously.

"No pressure, Tessa. In your own time."

"Um, well... I suppose I just start from the start..." Tessa stopped speaking to think of how she wanted to start. It had been so long since she'd actually thought about _all_ of it. "I don't even know what to say... Rami and I... I was 20 when he asked me out. We'd been friends for awhile, you know? Since he started working there. He became my best friend. We told each other everything. He wasn't even around in ROH too much but if he had time he'd stay and hang out. Then he got fired. Looking back it probably had something to do with how close we were – Gabe and all that – but at the time it was said that they – he and Steen - weren't good enough for the company. We still hung out and talked all the time and I fell in love." She shrugged somewhat helplessly, a smile forming on her face.

"Colby..." She continued, the smile not quite leaving her face, "I'd known Colby for awhile, he did IWA with Jimmy and I went to as many of those shows as I could. He wasn't... He was just one of the guys. He was hot. I was notorious for crushing hardcore on Jimmy's friends." Nikki couldn't stop her laugh, Tessa laughed too as she thought back to the beginning of her career. She'd only been a teenager and Colby wasn't the first crush she'd had on a friend of Jimmy's. "I think we hooked up – _made out_ – during a game of spin the bottle... Rami came back to Ring of Honor and we got pretty close on a few occasions to fooling around but he stopped every time because he didn't want to just..." She took a deep breath, her cheeks flushing red slightly. Brie and Nikki leaned in a little closer. "He didn't want to do anything with me if we weren't in a relationship."

"That's adorable," Brie swooned leaning her head on Tessa's shoulder playfully.

"So here I am waiting for him to actually ask me out... And he's making sure it's okay with Jimmy.  
>For nearly a year we were just Rami and Tessa and we didn't have to worry about anything other than a fake relationship with Tyler Black.<p>

"But not long into 2008... Gabe happened. The first time it happened... I don't even know," Tessa sighed sadly and started to fiddle with the buttons on her coat. "It all just kind of started and then it never stopped. He would say all these sweet things but then threaten my career if I stopped. It wasn't just my career... Jimmy, Rami, Colby, anyone I was friends with was going to be let go or buried if I didn't keep sleeping with him."

"Tessa... That's sexual assault. If you didn't want it to happen that's-" Nikki started to speak quickly, only to have Tessa cut her off.

"I did it to protect everyone," she said firmly and it would have been convincing if her voice didn't crack towards the end. "Colby happened because I was scared. I didn't want to continue with Gabe, I just wanted Rami... But Colby was there when Rami wasn't. We were on most of the same cards when Rami wasn't and... That crush sort of lingered for awhile. And then it happened and I didn't _want_ to stop that."

"Did you love Rami, still?" Brie asked. Tessa nodded slowly, closing her eyes for a moment in an attempt to compose herself.

Tessa sighed, "I loved both of them. For different reasons. Rami was my best friend. Colby was everything I'd dreamed of as a teenager... Looks wise, personality, interests... They both meant so much to me... They still do."

"Do you know what happened that night?"

"Gabe decided that he was going to tell someone. Colby and I had essentially been dry humping each other in the middle of the ring, I know that it was intense - I mean, I was part of it. Gabe was angry and he said something. Rami heard and went to, you know, teach him a lesson. Only... Colby got there first."

"Sweetheart, you don't have to talk about it anymore," Brie covered Tessa's hand with her own. The former's lip had started to quiver and it looked liked tears were about to form in her eyes. "You should tell them."

"They won't want to talk about this." Tessa felt Brie squeeze her hand and she sucked in a shaky breath. What Brie said next was something Tessa didn't want to hear.

"They'll want to know the truth."

It had crossed Tessa's mind many times over the years that the truth might solve her problems. Not all her problems, of course, but at least a few of them. Colby was upset that she had also been sleeping with Gabe but if he knew why she had done it, perhaps he wouldn't hate her so much. He might even understand and forgive her. Rami, though... Rami wasn't going to be as easy. The look on his face when she told him that she loved both him and Colby was forever etched into her mind.

* * *

><p>Tessa knocked on Colby's door firmly; she hadn't wasted any time in doing so. As soon as she reached his door she had knocked her knuckles against it because she knew that if she over thought it she would have walked away.<p>

"What do you want?" He grumbled, standing in the doorframe with his arms against it.

"I was..." Tessa trailed off when it clicked in her brain that he wasn't wearing a shirt. In his Shield get up his chest was never bare and she hadn't seen him face-to-face without a shirt for such a long time...

"You were...?" he prompted, agitated by her hesitation. She returned her gaze to his face and noticed that he looked uncomfortable.

"I was hoping that we could talk?" It came out as a question despite how much she had prepared herself for the conversation. The look on his face was making her wish she had just stayed in her hotel room.

He laughed manically, "What do you want to talk about, Tessa? The final three Harry Potter movies? The Avengers? An Unexpected Journey? The Desolation of Smaug? That they're making Episode Seven?" His voice rose with every word that he said and Tessa had to take a few steps back so that he wasn't shouting in her ear. "What? What do you want to talk about?"

Tessa frowned, "About Ring of Homicide."

"I don't want to speak to you. Let alone talk about your whoring around." He stepped backwards into the room and slammed the door shut, leaving her staring at a gold number _41_. She tussled her hair and drew in a shaky breath before turning and walking towards the elevator. She wasn't going to cry about it. Confused as she was, Tessa would not let it get to her.

The elevator doors opened in front of her before she had even pressed the button so she took a step to the side, ready to let the people off.

"-drop that damn championship and let someone else have it," a female voice said as Tessa stood off to the side.

"She's your best friend," responded a familiar male voice.

"I'm not angry at her, I'm angry at booking."

Tessa recognised the male voice the second he spoke. Ambrose. She looked up and smiled at him as he exited the elevator.

"Do you know what's up with Colby?" she asked him before he was able to walk away. The small blonde beside him looked at Tessa instantly, raising her eyebrows.

"Why the hell were you talking to Colby?" Tessa looked at her, _Darcy_, in confusion. "Oh, I know. I know all about it."

"Of course you do," Tessa said with a sigh. She had long come to accept that _everyone_ in the business knew. "I just needed to speak to him but he's in a really bad mood."

"Stinger that is, apparently, still causing him pain," Jon answered, wrapping his arm around Darcy's shoulders. "That's why he's sitting in his hotel room eating Burger King instead of having an actual dinner with us."

"Oh," Tessa nodded. "I... That's okay. I'll try talk to him when he's feeling better. Can you apologise to him for me? I just made him even angrier."

Jon assured her that he would as he pulled Darcy away before she could say anything more. Tessa couldn't miss the glare she had received the entire time she was talking to Jon. Darcy was clearly not her biggest fan. It was an easy assumption to make that Darcy was friends with Colby and had heard his side of the story. It was also easily assumed that Darcy was friends with Rami, too, making her hatred for Tessa even stronger.

Tessa, with a deep breath, pushed the door the elevator – it had closed during the conversation – and eventually found herself back at her hotel room, sitting on the edge of the bed with a heavy heart and a racing head. She hadn't cried – that she was proud of – but she definitely felt like she could have.

* * *

><p><strong>an I promise that Sami Zayn plays a huge part in this story, we just have to get to that part which I think is chapter 15.**

**Thank you to _UntilNeverDawns, nattiebroskette, Livin on the EDGE, CarolReigns, Straight Edge Queen, Westie86, deanambooty, ajroleplays_ and _nmoxracha_ for reviewing last chapter.**


	10. Are You Gonna Stay The Night?

**This chapter contains mentions of sexual abuse.**

* * *

><p><em>Are You Gonna Stay the Night?<em>

-January 26, 2014; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-

Tessa wasn't sure if she was happy or upset about not having a match on the Royal Rumble's card. Granted, she hadn't spoken a word on television so there wasn't much chance of her having a match on a Pay Per View, but the idea was nice. The lack of Divas match on the card did upset her, though. The division was picking up and it would have been nice to see them get air time on such an important event on the WWE Calendar.

"Choose your man!"

Tessa stared at Naomi in utter confusion, "What?"

"Pick a winner of the Rumble!" Naomi clarified. Tessa's features relaxed only to tighten again as she struggle to think of someone.

"I have no idea, honestly."

"Wrong answer!" Cameron shouted into her ear. "Just name a person."

"Um," Tessa paused. The first name to go through her head had been Seth Rollins but she knew that it wasn't his time. "Punk."

Naomi made a face and asked quietly, "_Are you sure?_"

"Positive," Tessa responded with a nod. "He might not be the nicest to me, but he's CM Punk." Naomi scribbled Tessa's prediction down on the bottom of a list – apparently they were keeping track so no one could lie. "What do you get if you win?"

"Drinks the next time we go out."

Tessa agreed to the terms and decided to go for a walk. Backstage was even crazier than Raw. People were running around trying to work out why that one section of pyro wasn't working or trying to find a replacement bulb. She found herself walking out to the ring, not knowing who was using it.

The moment she passed through the curtain and got a good look at the ring, she saw The Shield boys talking in the middle of the ring. Joe was the first to look up, pointing at her and letting the others know that she was making her way to the ring.

"I'm not here to interrupt," she said, noticing that they had stopped their discussion. "I just wanted to check out the arena."

"Nah," Jon said, sitting on the middle rope, motioning for her to come into the ring. "Show us what you've got."

Tessa laughed and shook her head, "I'm wearing a skirt. And boots."

Jon shrugged at her, telling her that she could take off her shoes and she'd be fine. Tessa, grateful for any time in a ring she could get, quickly ran up the stairs and into the ring. Once inside she dropped to the floor and began to take off her shoes, resting them underneath the turnbuckle and muttering an apology to her mother for going barefoot.

Joe and Colby backed away, watching as Jon and Tessa locked up in the middle of the ring. She had told him to call the moves and she'd be happy to prove her worth.

"You're not wrestling Darcy," Colby reminded him, watching as Jon pushed Tessa into the ropes. "Tessa's got you covered."

Jon didn't have time to retort as Tessa ran back at him; he caught her in a scoop slam. Tessa hastily pulled down her skirt whilst arching her back and selling the move as best she could.

"You were saying?" Jon asked, turning to Colby with a smirk. While his back was turned, Tessa wasted no time in jumping up, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "This opens you up to being squashed, you know that right?" Jon said, threatening to drop backwards so that he would land on top of Tessa.

"You have to be quick." Tessa released her hold just as Jon dropped backwards, letting him fall as she ran backwards at the rope. He sat up, utterly confused as to how she had escaped so quickly. She pushed herself off the rope and as she was running towards him called out, "neck snap."

Jon let out a laugh, preparing himself. Tessa took hold of his head and did a somersault over him, bringing his head down to the mat. As she let go, Jon dropped backwards violently. His laughter killed the effect of the move but Tessa began laughing too. As she got to her feet, she straightened out her clothes and hair, smiling at Jon.

"Alright, so you're good."

"Why did you tell him he wasn't wrestling Darcy?" Tessa asked, only looking at Colby briefly. He seemed to be in a much better mood than the night before but she did not want to risk it.

"Darcy isn't quite able to call a match, yet," Jon answered for him. "She would have waited for me to tell her what he had to do next."

"Is she around here? Maybe I could help her out," Tessa offered. Despite Darcy's hostile attitude, Tessa was willing to give her a hand and some pointers.

"Last I saw her she was talking with Summer Rae but she said she wanted to speak to Punk, so I'm not sure." Tessa pulled a face at the mention of Punk, knowing that she wasn't going to make an effort to find the NXT Diva if there was any chance of coming into contact with her first trainer.

* * *

><p>Every television was being crowded around as the Royal Rumble match was winding down. With six people left in the ring, Tessa was beginning to think that CM Punk actually had a chance of winning. The Shield, Punk, Batista and Sheamus were still fighting for their Wrestlemania title shot and people were shouting at the screen, getting very into the match.<p>

"You idiot, Ambrose!" Eva yelled at the television, watching as Dean tried to eliminate Roman only for Roman to eliminate both his teammates. "Thank you, asshole."

The Divas were getting very into their bets, all wanting a night of free drinks. Cameron, who had chosen Roman as her winner, was parading around the area. Tessa grumbled when Kane returned to eliminate Punk from the match, claiming outside interference meant that she had been robbed of victory.

"Oh, y'all need to calm down!" Naomi laughed, "Y'all are acting like a bunch of teenagers."

"Motherfucker!" Cameron shouted when Batista eliminated Roman Reigns to win the 2014 Royal Rumble. The women all sat down defeated, no one had expected him to win the match. "Punk's gonna be pissed."

"That might be an understatement," Tessa said slowly, already able to hear angered shouts out in the hall. She stood up and poked her head around the corner only to quickly pull it back in when Punk looked in her direction. The look she sent the girls said it all; they were to avoid Punk at all costs.

Exiting the room slowly, a lot of effort was put in to walking around Punk without being noticed. The superstar had turned his attention to AJ who was trying to calm him down, so Tessa used the distraction as her opportunity to scurry behind them. She was going in search of Ambrose because she wanted to ask him if there was a free spot in their rental – she, like them, had not booked a night in a Pittsburgh hotel, instead choosing to drive straight through to Cleveland.

There was no need to go to their dressing room as the men were standing about near the roller doors. Darcy was tucked under her boyfriend's Jon, her eyes closed as she seemed to be falling asleep by his side.

"You need a ride, don't ya?" Jon asked, watching Tessa walk over to them. "It'll be a full car, but we can squeeze you in."

Tessa smiled thankfully, "I appreciate it. Thank you. I'll just go grab my things. Won't be long."

Turning on her heel, she began the walk back to the change room. The thought of crossing Punk's path made her cringe but it did not stop her. Footsteps behind her caused her to look over her shoulder. Colby was following her.

"Want some company?" he asked, walking a few steps behind her.

"Um, I guess," she responded, tugging her head over her shoulder. She pulled her fingers through the ends and kept her eyes forward.

"I need to apologise," he started to speak, "for last night."

Though grateful, Tessa shrugged, "You were in pain, its fine. I'm glad it doesn't hurt anymore."

"It doesn't really excuse it," he argued with her as he quickened his pace to walk beside her. "I am sorry. If you still want to talk, we can do it back at the hotel?"

"I'd like that," Tessa said with a nod. A small smile forced its way onto her face. Genuine happiness flowed through her at Colby's apology and his willingness to hear her out. She wasn't so sure he'd feel the same once she'd explained herself but she had to try.

It was futile trying to stop him from grabbing her largest suitcase. He had taken hold of the handle before she could even think about it. Tessa breathed out a laugh as she pushed her handbag up her shoulder and picked up the smaller suitcase. Colby was half way out the door, being forced by the laughing Cameron and Naomi who were telling him off for being in the women's room. The need for a women's locker room on a card without a Divas' match did confuse her a little, but it wasn't worth fussing over.

* * *

><p>Tessa had taken a window seat and Darcy had been forced to sit in the middle. Tessa wasn't so worried about it, knowing that the drive wasn't too far, but Darcy made a point to cuddle as close to Jon as she possibly could, basically sitting in his lap.<p>

Colby was driving and he could see Tessa in the seat behind him, her face visible in the rear-view mirror. They shared funny faces, mostly in reaction to the tiny blonde's childish behaviour. Tessa would never understand why there was such a difference in their maturity. Tessa was 27 and Darcy, from what she had heard, would be turning 24 during Wrestlemania Week. Tessa began to wonder if she had acted the same at Darcy's age – she sincerely hoped she had not.

"I'm just going to put my stuff in my room..." Tessa said slowly as she hovered by the open car door after they arrived in Cleveland. It was almost 2 in the morning but she was still determined to speak to him. "Did you want to come to mine or me come to yours?"

Colby turned around his seat, shrugging at her, "If you give me 15 minutes, I'll text you my room number."

"Yeah," Tessa nodded. "I can do that."

On her way up to her hotel room, after checking in, Tessa was smiling. Relief was really the only emotion flowing through her body – she wasn't even able to worry about how the conversation would go. Thinking over her conversation with Brie and Nikki – and the smaller one they'd had after Tessa recounted her first attempt at talking with Colby – she realised that it was important that he know everything.

Tessa didn't have long to do much other than set down her suitcases and tie up her hair before she left for room 275.

"Colby?" she asked, knocking on the door. It was jarred open with the security lock so she pushed it open slightly, "Colb?"

"Yeah, yeah, come on in. Close the door." Tessa scrunched up her face as she moved the lock and shut the door. She had only managed a short nap during the drive and the lack of sleep was getting to her. "Did you want to do this tomorrow?"

"No," she shook her head. "It's fine. I'll just make it quick." She knelt on the end of the bed, resting on her haunches. Colby sat down at the head, propping his pillow behind him. They considered each other carefully, Tessa smiling lightly. "So, The Avengers, huh."

Colby laughed, "Yeah. The Avengers."

After a small laugh, Tessa cleared her throat, tucked her hair behind her ears and put on her serious face.

"Look, I just want to tell you why I did what I did..." he nodded at her when she paused. "You know that I loved you. And if you don't know that then you need to. I fell in love with you but that wasn't before we started sleeping together." She had to pause again, breathing in deeply to steady herself and her shaking voice. "I, um, I started sleeping with Gabe at the beginning of the year. I didn't want to but he was - he was threatening _all of you and your careers_ if I didn't."

"Jesus, Tessy," he said under his breath, wiping a hand over his face. "That's-"

"Sexual harassment? Rape? Yeah, probably," Tessa nodded, blinking back a few tears.

"Not probably," Colby interrupted. "Definitely. You should have said something, told _someone_ and we could have gotten him fired... But _Gabe_?"

"Yeah," she nodded, shifting so that she was holding her knees to her chest. If it hadn't happened to her, she would have a hard time believing Gabe Sapolsky was capable of such things. "I didn't want to ruin your careers. I didn't want to get you into trouble, so I did it. I didn't want you to hate me."

"_No one_ would have hated you," he told her firmly, moving forward to rest his hand on her bare arm. "You hear me? _No one_."

"I didn't know that. He was telling me that you would never forgive me for making you lose your titles..." she looked up at him as a tear fell down her cheek and cried, "I didn't know what else to do."

"Christ, Tessy," Colby moved closer to her, hugging the woman to his side. He started to rub his hand up and down her side. He almost sighed when he noticed that she smelt the same. _Sacrebleu_ must still have been her favourite perfume. "I wish you would have said something."

"I didn't want you to hate me. I was doing what I thought was right. It was better for everyone if I just let Gabe do what he wanted." Tessa held onto Colby, clenching his t-shirt impossibly tight and she cried into his chest. "You were... You were _there_ and I needed someone who was going to love me." Colby softly put his arms on her biceps and held her away from him before moving his hands to wipe the tears from her face.

"I think I'm always going to love you. Nothing was or is ever going to change that."

Her lips twitched upwards and the genuine, loving look in his eyes caused her to lift her hands to his cheeks, pulling his face towards her. Colby didn't reject the movement, he leaned in when she was close enough, their lips touching softly. Tessa didn't think twice about sitting up straighter and deepening the kiss. It didn't take long for tongue to be involved or for Tessa to be leaning over him, making sure he didn't break it.

Tessa lost control of the situation when Colby leaned closer to her, pushing her backwards onto the bed. Her head was almost hanging off the end of the bed, but it didn't matter. She felt Colby straddle her and she nipped at his lips, squirming under him.

"_God_," she moaned the second his hand moved to her breast. Even through her shirt and bra she could felt his thumb run across her hardened nipple. She gripped the front of his top, holding him as close as she could.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been touched so desperately. She couldn't remember the last time she'd touched someone so desperately. It had to have been Colby or Rami. It had to.

A small laugh escaped her lips and Colby pulled back, raising an eyebrow. Tessa cupped his cheeks and ran her thumbs across his beard.

"It tickles," she pulled him in for another kiss, wanting to let him know she wasn't bothered by it. She breathed against his lips, "I missed you so much."

Colby's hand slipped up the back of her skirt, coming to rest on the back of her thigh. He lifted her leg up so that it was anchored over his hip and pulled her closer to him. His hand dropped from her thigh, moving to her forward as he brushed hair from her face, smiling down at her.

Tessa moved into a sitting position, allowing Colby to push his hands up her sides and slide her shirt over her head. She dug her nails into his bare arms when his lips made contact with the bare skin of her breasts. Colby reached behind her back, unclasping her bra and pulling it down her arms, throwing it across the room blindly.

As Tessa's hands slid underneath Colby's shirt, he grabbed the back of it, tugging it over his head. Tessa ran her hands up his chest, feeling the hairs beneath her fingers. She had always been partial to chest hair.

As soon as Colby planted his lips on hers, Tessa opened her mouth, allowing the kiss to become deeper and more passionate. As he was kissing her, he slid his hands up her skirt and pulled down her tights, taking her panties along with them. When he had to break away so that he could move slip them off completely, Tessa quickly pushed her skirt down to her ankles, letting him take that at the same time.

She was lying naked in front of him, arms out stretched and welcoming him to do whatever he pleased with her. He kissed up the inside of her leg before kissing her wet lips, eliciting a soft moan from her mouth.

Tessa grabbed a fistful of his hair as he slid his tongue between her folds, his arms holding her legs behind the knees, keeping them wide open. She had tried to close them, an instinctive reaction when her pussy began to pulsate.

"Jesus, Colby," she moaned, tugging harder at his hair.

She sighed when he moved away from her but smiled when she noticed that he had began working on the belt of his pants. When he was leaning backwards, Tessa sat up and moved closer, reaching down to his belt, moving his hands out of the way.

His pants were pushed down to his knees when Tessa slipped a hand inside his boxers, wrapping her hand around his erect dick. She looked up at him, batting her eyelashes innocently. Colby put his hands on the back of her head – his fingers threading through her long, wavy hair – and pulled her in close, kissing her desperately as she ran her hand up and down his length. Their naked chests pressed together, he could feel her hard nipples against his skin.

"Fuck, Tessa," he swore, breaking their kiss for some much needed air.

He reached down to grab her hand, moving it up to his chest so it joined the other hand. He shifted his weight as he took off his pants. When he was fully naked, he put an arm around her back and span them around, resting her back onto the bed so that her head was now on the pillow.

"_Please, Colby. Please_," she begged as he hovered over her, watching her chest rise and fall with each heavy breath.

Their lips met again, Tessa wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close. She sucked in a short breath when he pushed at her entrance but moaned when he was inside of her.

Colby rocked his hips back and forth; Tessa wrapped her legs around his waist, meeting each and every thrust. They moaned into each other's mouths, Tessa's eyes closed as she felt pleasure run rampant through every nerve in her body.

"You feel so good, Tessy," Colby moaned as his thrusts got faster and faster. "So, so good."

"_I can't-_" she gasped, doing her best to keep matching Colby's thrusts. Her building orgasm was making it hard for her to concentrate on anything other than his mouth and their connected bodies.

She came first, tugging at his hair, and tried to ride it out as long as possible. She sighed his name over and over. Her muscles tightening around him led Colby to join her, moaning her name into her shoulder as he came inside of her.

When he pulled out of her, he rolled beside her, his head resting on her stomach. Tessa's hand softly untangled his long, multicoloured hair – something she had done many times before.

The only sound in the room was their laboured breathing. Words weren't necessary. Not when they'd been in that position more times than could be counted.

* * *

><p><strong>an Thank yous to _Straight Edge Queen, msgemgem, CarolReigns, UntilNeverDawns, nmoxracha, Livin on the EDGE _and _deanambooty_. I want to thank everybody for taking the time to read this story and for waiting to hear out Tessa's side of the story before you decided that she was the worst person in the world. Thank you for sticking around!**


	11. Shaking Off The Rust

_Shaking off the Rust_

- January 27, 2014; Cleveland, Ohio-

Tessa woke up to no alarm clock that morning and it was a pleasant change. The only sound in the room was the light snoring of a male. She knew who it was immediately. He still smelt the same – Colby Lopez hadn't changed.

With her head resting on his chest, she could hear his even heartbeat. His arm was wrapped loosely around her waist. Her leg was stretched over both of his. It felt so natural and just like every time before.

Tessa knew that he had a girlfriend – she'd heard plenty about Leighla during the few car rides she'd been on with The Shield – but to her that hardly mattered. She was back in the arms of a man she had truly loved and she wasn't going to ruin it. For nearly 20 minutes Tessa did not move, she barely even breathed.

The sun was rising over Cleveland, slowly lighting up the room. The curtains had never been drawn and they were on quite a high floor so she was able to see it peering over the building tops. She still hated Ohio, she just found it pretty.

She felt Colby arch his back slightly, something he always did as he was waking up. She left her head on his chest, still staring out the window.

Colby went to move his legs only to find another resting over them. He knew that someone was using him as a human pillow, that much he could feel from the weight on his chest but Leighla's legs had never been so casually stretched over his; she was more one to entwine them. He knew it was Tessa. From her legs, to her hair, to the hand idly drawing shapes onto the sheets... He would know her even if he was blind and deaf.

Neither said anything as Colby's hand started to lightly massage her head. Tessa sighed heavily and shifted so her chin was on his chest and she was looking up at him.

"Hi," she said quietly, afraid of disturbing the air around them.

"Hi," he said back in a gruff, tired voice. "What time is it?"

"A little after 7."

Colby groaned, "I need to get up."

He didn't need to say anything else for Tessa to move off of him and slide onto the other half of the bed, not bothering to pull a sheet over her chest. He'd seen it all before – many times, in fact – she didn't need to be modest.

The air was thick as Colby got out of bed and walked straight into the bathroom, leaving Tessa with no clue as to whether she should stay or go.

Opting for stay, she leant against the headboard and listened to the water flow through the pipes. Occasionally she heard a loud noise, most likely Colby bumping into the glass shower door, which would shake her from her near sleep state.

"Oh," he breathed when he walked out to see that she was still in his room. Typically, the towel was slung low on his hips and there were water droplets running down his chest. "I thought you'd be gone."

Tessa got the message and got out of the bed herself, walking around the bed in search of her underwear and clothes.

"We can't do this, Tessy."

"No," she agreed in a whisper. "I know." She pulled on her panties and her skirt. In a slightly louder voice she began to explain, "I didn't come in here for sex. I wasn't thinking about it at all. I just wanted to tell you about Gabe."

"It's no one's fault," Colby reasoned. "I know you weren't looking for sex. It just happened... But it can't happen again." Tessa quickly pulled her shirt over her head and looked at him, catching the glint of sadness in his eyes. She was sure her eyes matched his.

"It's okay," she assured him slowly as she sat on the edge of the bed. Truth be told, she was almost certain it wasn't okay. She had put him in the same position she'd been in before and it wasn't going to be easy for him to get past it. "It's not going to happen again and no one has to know. Accidents happen."

As she struggled to tug on her boots - she had bypassed putting on her tights for the sake of swiftness - Colby cleared his throat, causing her to look at him once more.

"Are you still-" he started only to stop and rephrase his sentence. "You still have the-"

His hesitation alerted Tessa to what he was asking, "We're fine. I still have an IUD."

"Good." He breathed out a sigh of relief. "And you're, you know, you're clean?"

Tessa stood up after successfully pulling on her boots. She looked him square in the eye and answered, "Yes, I'm clean. I hope you can say the same."

Balling her tights up in her hand, Tessa walked straight passed the frozen man - who had not made any effort to change or dry himself – towards the door. After checking the peephole to ensure no one was roaming the halls, she opened the door and quickly made her way down three doors to her room.

Her key card had somehow managed to stay in the pocket of her skirt despite it being tossed across the room, so she made it into the room without any mishaps. Except perhaps the tears that were forming in her eyes could have been seen as the biggest mishap possible.

Tessa was buzzing when she walked into Quicken Loans Arena. The morning's events had been effectively pushed from her mind as the realisation dawned on her – she was making her wrestling debut for WWE. The only thing really dampening her spirits was that she had to do it in Ohio.

"What is it about Ohio, anyway?" Brie asked after the umpteenth complaint.

Tessa sighed, "My brother crashed his car when we were driving through Ohio."

"Was it bad?" The twin asked, her face softening dramatically.

"Not really but, uh, never really liked Ohio after that."

"Hopefully this memory overwrites it."

Tessa smiled warmly at Brie as they walked into the Divas locker room. Tamina was sitting with Nattie but their discussion had seemingly ended as they were both reaching for their phones. Tessa placed her bags into a corner, wasting no time in changing into something she could wrestle in. She wouldn't change into her ring gear until it was closer to go time, for the time being shorts and a tank top would do just fine. The newest Diva soon after gestured to Tamina that she was going to the ring and was given a nod in response. Tessa left the room in search of the ring – the signs were becoming her best friends.

The ring was, as to be expected, occupied. The Real Americans were standing about talking to Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara. There was no need to interrupt them, so Tessa moved off to the side and began her warm up. She ran a few laps around the ring, opening her body up to exercise. It was easy to tell that the men in the ring were looking at her every now and then but she paid them no attention.

Tamina came out as Tessa was sitting on one of the mats, stretching out her hamstrings.

"We're done," Jack Swagger informed them, leaning slightly over the rope to talk to Tessa. "You girls can have it." Tessa thanked him with a smile and gripped the bottom rope, hauling herself onto the apron and over the bottom rope.

"Is that how you enter the ring? Is that how _Tia _would enter the ring?" Tamina asked, watching Tessa carefully.

"Excellent point," Tessa said as she rolled underneath the bottom rope, leaving the ring. "That is how June enters a ring."

Walking around to the stairs, the newest Diva walked up them carefully and deliberately, holding onto the top rope when she was in reach. She flirted with the idea of holding onto the top rope and launching herself over but also realised that Tia would not do that.

Choosing to put more emphasis on her in ring theatrics, Tessa wiped her feet on the apron and then ducked underneath the middle rope. She walked into the centre of the ropes, and with a genuine smile, she curtsied.

"Works if you turn heel, too," Tamina commented. "All you have to do is put on a seriously sarcastic smile. Make it arrogant."

The little time they would be given for their match left the pair with not much to practice or sort out so they left the ring the second Alberto Del Rio and Kofi Kingston walked onto the stage.

"We've got this," Tessa said proudly when the women walked back through the curtain. "I'm sorry that you have to lose so quickly."

"Don't be," Tamina smiled warmly. "We have to make you look worthy of the title. I have to apologise for AJ, though."

"No, you don't. Not at all."

"She's letting it all get to her head; no one can really get through to her."

Tessa shrugged, "With Punk beside her getting in her ear, I don't think that's going to change any time soon."

"He hasn't shown up tonight," Tamina told Tessa. She continued, noticing Tessa's horrified expression, "He wasn't too happy about Batista winning the Rumble."

Tessa explained that she wasn't at all surprised before the two parted ways and Tessa began to notice that everything was more chaotic than usual. It had to have been because of the sudden need for a script change and she scoffed at Punk's audacity.

Walking through to catering, Tessa hung her head when she saw Colby sitting at a table with Luke Harper. The latter had become a friend to her during his time with Chikara, a place she had spent much time when she was dating Rami. She had been able to save that friendship when he worked briefly in Japan but she couldn't go speak to him if he was sitting next to the man she had slept with. _The taken man she had slept with._

_-Live on Raw-_

AJ Lee was mid-sentence, once more running her mouth about being the longest reigning Divas champion, when she was interrupted by unheard music.

**_She barely knew your name._**

Tia walked through the curtain, smiling to the WWE Universe. She was wearing her ring gear, black, high-waisted shorts with a thin gold belt in the loops, a black and white horizontally striped crop top with a little window to show some cleavage, a pair of white wrestling boots and, of course, with her knee pads – nicely padded so she didn't reinjure her left knee. She had white tape around her wrists, a staple since her very first match.

"What are you doing?!" AJ fumed. "_I am talking_!"

Tia ignored her, instead waving to the crowd. She walked to centre of the stage and held a peace sign up near her face.

AJ was evidently growing tired of Tia's nonsense. She was standing in the middle of the ring fuming because she had been interrupted, she was stomping her feet and asking Tamina unintelligible questions.

Tia made her down the ramp, the smile never leaving her face. The happiness she was exuding was one hundred percent real. She blew kisses to the fans on her way to the ring.

"You know what?" AJ asked as Tia walked up the stairs and ducked underneath the middle rope. "I want to you know who you are. You've been standing on the stage for _weeks_ now, not saying anything just watching and it's really creepy. I'm surprised no one's been called to take you away."

Walking past the champion and her bodyguard, Tia put her hands between the ropes and asked for a microphone.

"Are we finally going to find out who this woman is?" King asked, clearly excited by the idea.

"It's about damn time," JBL said.

"Now, AJ," Tia spoke in her kindest voice, trying not to sound patronising. "I'm allowed to be here. I'm not just a fan who's managed to bypass security every week... I'm the newest WWE Diva."

AJ pulled a face and retorted, not directly into the microphone, "No you're not. Don't lie."

"If I was lying I definitely wouldn't have made it into the ring. You want to know who I am? I'm Tia." AJ shrugged, unimpressed. "You don't seem to believe me... How about we have a match right now? I'm ready. Are you?"

AJ brought the microphone up to her mouth, "You can't just come out here and request matches! There is a process!"

"I've been approved for a match. I was able to speak to Stephanie McMahon earlier and you two have never really gotten along. So, if you accept, we have a match."

"I'm not going to wrestle you! I've never even _heard_ of you." A few fans in the crowd who recognised Tia from her previous work jeered.

"But, you see, I've heard of you. I actually have a few issues with you," Tia revealed, causing the WWE universe to respond with an 'oooo'. "You think you can just hide in the bus and people will leave you be. Don't you? I'm here to put an end to that. I actually care what you do between Pay Per Views."

AJ Lee rolled her eyes while Tamina stood back, her arms crossed over her chest.

"I know how tempting it is as champion to sit back and watch everyone fight for scraps. If they beat each other up, they've done all the hard work. You come back in a few weeks time, they're weak and mentally destroyed and all you have to do... One accurately timed knee to the head and you've got the win. I'm a former champion myself, I know how it works.

"You're the longest reigning Divas Champion in history, no matter how short that history is. It's nonsensical; it's a disgrace to this division. It's okay though because I'm going to put an end to your pathetic excuse for a title reign and when I do I'll actually be a champion worthy of that title."

AJ dramatically lunged forward, ready to attack Tia for everything she had said but Tamina was able to hold her back. AJ calmed herself down, straightening out her clothes and flattening her hair.

"No, I'm not going to give you a match. Tamina will."

Tia's face fell for a split second before she grinned at the prospect of getting a match. AJ left the ring as a referee ran towards them, leaving the two Divas staring off at each other.

The ringing bell signalled the match start and Tia held out her hand, expecting Tamina to shake it, only for Tamina send Tia flying across the ring with a harsh shove. She shook it off, still sitting on the ground, and stared up at Tamina in shock.

"Do you think Tia's going to regret this?" Michael Cole asked the other men at the table. "Tamina's as strong as she looks."

"I don't think she would have accepted if she couldn't handle it," King said enthusiastically.

"Okay," she said to herself. "I can do this. No big deal." Tia stood up and moved back into the centre of the ring, calling Tamina back from her conversation with AJ. "Never turn your back on your opponent!"

Not one to take a cheap shot, Tia waited until Tamina was standing directly in front of her before she dropped to the ground, bending her left knee, keeping her right straight and spinning around. She connected with the back of Tamina's legs, dropping the Diva onto her back. With her own momentum from the leg sweep, Tia was able to rise back to a standing position.

Tamina tried to back away as Tia bent over and grabbed hold of her legs, wasting no time in attacking her left knee.

JBL protested, "You can't attack her when she's down! That's not fair!"

Tamina was able to move away for a second only to have Tia grab her by the ankle, lift her into the air and drop her knee to the mat.

* * *

><p>While Tamina clutched at her knee – Tia had spent the entire match targeting it and had just swept Tamina down to the ground again – Tia ran towards the ropes and pushed off them, drop kicking Tamina's knee.<p>

She went for it, not wanting to give Tamina any time to recover. Tia grabbed her opponent by the legs and applied a cloverleaf, leaning as far backwards as she could to put more pressure on Tamina's knee.

"This might be it!" Cole exclaimed, "Tamina has nowhere to go!"

"She's done it!" King cheered as Tamina's hand hit the mat repetitively. Tia released her hold and looked to the ref with a wide smile. When her wrist was held and pulled high into the air, Tia jumped excitedly.

Before she exited the ring, she curtsied to the crowd and mouthed a few 'thank you's for their cheers and for letting her wrestle before them.

* * *

><p><em>-Off Air-<em>

Brie and Nikki were waiting for Tessa at the end of Gorilla and embraced their friend in a tight hug, congratulating her on her first match.

"It was fantastic, Tessa! You're going to win the title and everyone's going to believe it!"

Tessa didn't voice that she felt a little uneasy about going over so easy – Tamina had gotten in minimal offence and while it would be played off as some sort of beginner's luck, the winning streak Tessa was about to embark on worried her.

While she waited for the show to finish – only the main event was left – Tessa showered and changed. She accepted praise from everyone who gave it to her, blushing every time someone complimented her. It was blowing her mind that everything was being said in English after she had become to accustomed to hearing things in Japanese after her matches.

The Shield were driving her to the airport seeing as they had to go there as well, so her wait was even longer. They always took their time getting ready but Tessa didn't protest – waiting beat catching a taxi.

"Let's go, Jacobs!" Jon shouted, walking straight by her – Darcy was laughing at him and the skip he had in his step.

"Fucking retard," the blonde snorted.

"Well done tonight, Tessa," Joe smiled down at her, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You killed it."

She smiled up at him, the blush returning to her cheeks, and walked alongside the big man just so that she wouldn't still be standing there when Colby walked by her. She avoided him in the car as well, suddenly thankful that Darcy and Jon needed to be sat together in the backseat. Joe was driving so Tessa sat behind him, as far from Colby as she could manage. He looked at her over his shoulder sporadically on the way to the airport and Tessa had to avert her gaze every time – she was looking at him in what could only be described as lustful longing.

All day she had felt guilty for sleeping with him. She knew that he was in a relationship and she didn't want to ruin that for him, especially given her own track record. Though, she felt guiltier about how badly she wanted to do it again. Guiltier about not feeling like she'd done wrong.

It was just her luck that Colby's flight to Iowa was going to depart only 10 minutes after Tessa's to Flint. They were left sitting together after Joe, Jon and Darcy all got on their flight to Orlando and Tessa was sitting as still and as quietly as humanly possible.

"You're going to do this are you?" Colby asked her, shifting in his seat to look directly at her. "Not talk to me?"

"What are we going to talk about? The Avengers? The Hobbit? Harry Potter?" she asked in a low voice, staring directly ahead of her. "Because personally I loved The Avengers and Harry Potter cannot disappoint." Tessa stood up when she heard her flight number being called over the radio.

"Tessy..." he said, reaching out to touch her hand. She let her hand linger before moving it to her carry-on.

"What? Colby?" she asked him in a tired, desperate voice. "You said it yourself, it can't happen again."

"I just want to know if you regret it," he whispered, watching her carefully. She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling dramatically.

"I could never regret you."

* * *

><p><strong>an :D thank you for the response to the last chapter! _nattiebroskette, Imagineer1392, UntilNeverDawns, nmoxracha, Livin on the EDGE, deanambooty, ajroleplays _and _CarolReigns_ get super shout outs for their reviews!**


	12. You Know I Can't Be Found With You

_You Know I Can't Be Found With You_

-February 3, 2014; Omaha, Nebraska-

Tessa hadn't been put on the main show but would be appearing on Main Event in a tag team match with Eva Marie against Foxsana. Eva had proven to be a good friend in the short time Tessa had been with the company and she was more than happy to help the rookie Diva improve her in ring skills – especially given that Eva had to help Tessa with her photoshoot.

The Valentine's Day shoot was a yearly tradition for the WWE Divas. 2014 meant a shoot entitled _'Sweetheart' _that would have the Divas dress in jeans and white shirts with different love-related typographies on them.

Tessa was wearing a loose, cropped t-shirt with rolled up sleeves that had _Tell Me You (Heart) Me_ written across it in a peach colour. They'd matched her shoes, earrings and bangle to the colour almost perfectly and her favourite pair of jeans finished off the outfit.

"Well, you look amazing," Eva complimented Tessa with a genuine smile. "You just need to loosen up."

Tessa sighed, "Easier said than done."

Frankie Reed stood behind his camera, giving blind instructions to Tessa who was only staring at him blankly. Eva laughed kind-heartedly at her, walking into the shot and moving Tessa's hands so that her left was resting on her hip and her right was situated near the back of her head.

"You have to work the legs, too," Eva told her, noticing that Tessa was still standing in the same position.

Eva stood off to the side for the rest of Tessa's photoshoot, laughing with her as the newest Diva tried to find her comfort zone. Tessa loved to be in photos, provided they were casual, happy snaps that didn't require a makeup and lighting team.

Eventually Tessa was able to go with the flow, using the large, foam candy hearts to her advantage. Eva stayed with her the entire time, giving her small instructions and tips for relaxing herself. After all, Eva was no stranger to photoshoots.

"I think we have enough," Frankie said with a smile as he looked through the photos he had taken. "You did good for your first shoot."

Tessa wouldn't believe him until she saw the photos online, but she thanked him regardless and then hugged Eva tight and promised to help her whenever she needed it. Tessa all but ran to the locker room, needing to change for her match – there was plenty of time but she liked to get in as much of a warm up as possible.

When she was in her ring gear and had found a semi-secluded area of the arena, Tessa began her stretches by standing with her legs spread and reaching down to touch her right toe, holding it for ten seconds – feeling her quad stretch out – before doing the same touching her left toe.

A very familiar voice filled her ears when she was sitting on the ground doing butterfly stretches. A lump quickly formed in her throat and she kept her head down. It had been a week since she last saw him, avoiding him at the house shows had been too easy.

"I, uh, 'heart' you," Colby said with a slight laugh, sitting down on the ground beside her. Tessa shuffled away from him.

"Pardon?" she asked him quietly, still not looking at him. She stretched her legs out directly in front of her and leant forward, her upper body resting flat against her legs.

"The shirt, for the shoot," he explained, copying her stretch. "You looked great."

"Thank you."

Tessa kept her eyes off of Colby, but in her peripheral vision she noticed that he was doing every stretch that she was. It wasn't hard to tell that he was watching her, she had always been hyper aware of people looking at her. Standing up and pushing her hair behind her ears, Tessa finally looked directly at Colby.

"What do you want from me?" she questioned desperately. "Nothing happened, remember?"

"I don't want to pretend nothing happened." Tessa gasped when she felt Colby's body press up against her back, his hands holding onto her waist. "You drive me crazy, Tessa."

"What about Lei-"

"Don't think about it. Please." He turned her around in his arms, putting his hands immediately back on her waist. Her head dropped to the side as he leant down to kiss her neck and she sighed happily. She rested her hands on his chest and relaxed into him, just enjoying the feeling of him being so close.

* * *

><p>"I went to Headquarters last week. Airport photos of you are floating around the internet." Tessa's face contorted in confusion as Nikki sat down beside her on the bench. Tessa was changing out of her ring gear, readying herself for a shower.<p>

The match had been decent, Tia and Alicia clearly running the 10 minute match. Aksana had managed to hit Eva with the spine buster for the win after Alicia had brutalised Tia on the outside. Despite how she had wrestled, it was hard to miss that she was distracted. Colby hadn't left her mind.

"Of me?" she asked with a light laugh. "Why would anyone want to take photos of _me_ in an airport?"

"Probably because you were with The Shield."

"Oh," Tessa said with a small sigh. "That makes a lot of sense."

"I mean, you looked great but they _are_ The Shield."

"I know," Tessa smiled. "Thanks Nikki-chan."

Tessa grabbed a change of clothes from her bag and headed towards the showers, wanting to get away from any conversation about The Shield. She didn't know where she stood with Colby and was going to try to forget about it until they had a proper chance to speak about it.

"You looked a bit out of it; you didn't hit your head did you?" Nikki asked, watching Tessa carefully. Tessa turned around to her friend and saw the concerned expression on her face.

"It's not a concussion, I promise. Just a bit distracted by things."

"Right, okay. Talent Relations wants to see you when you're done, so you know."

Tessa nodded and disappeared into the wet area. Her shower lasted barely ten minutes; she hadn't worked up enough of a sweat to justify anything longer and washing her hair wasn't something for an Arena shower.

When she made it to the area of the arena that had been sectioned off for Talent Relations business, Sean Cleary was standing with AJ Lee and they both turned to her at the same time. Tessa smiled and moved to stand beside AJ, making no effort to greet the champion.

"Okay, so what did you want us for?" AJ asked, shifting the title on her shoulder, pointing it in Tessa's direction. Sean looked directly at Tessa.

"We know when we want to give you the championship," Sean revealed and Tessa grinned widely, ignoring AJ's groan and the way she stomped her foot in anger. "At Elimination Chamber, you will get the title shot."

"The Pay Per View?" Tessa gasped. "You're putting me over on the Pay Per View?"

"We think you deserve it. We're going to have AJ go out and state that she's been required to defend her championship and she will issue an open challenge."

Tessa nodded eagerly at everything Sean was saying but there was no missing what AJ thought about the matter. The champion's lips were pursed and her eyes narrowed as she listened to how she would lose her championship. Tessa wasn't fussed, though. It wasn't her fault that AJ would be losing her title – it had been the plan since she signed, after all.

* * *

><p>A knock on her hotel room door made Tessa sigh and throw her pyjamas back into her suitcase. She let the top drop as she took slow steps to the door. Through the peephole she saw Colby Lopez standing on the other side of the door. She frowned but her heart leapt a little. Their kiss still hadn't left her mind.<p>

"Hi," she said sheepishly, biting into her bottom lip. "Is everything okay? I mean, you're here late. I thought you were going straight to Iowa."

"I was," he nodded with soft eyes, "but Ambrose tweaked his shoulder last night and he just wanted to sleep in a proper bed."

"Oh, that's no good." Tessa scratched at her upper arm, absentmindedly. "Is that what you came to tell me? That Jon's a little sore? I'm not sure how I'm supposed to help with that."

Colby shook his head, contorting his face, "No, I don't want you to help Jon... Tessa, I can't stop _thinking_ about you."

"You haven't exactly been at the back of my mind," she retorted, abandoning her previously nice demeanour. "You can't just kiss me at work like that. You can't just _kiss me like that_."

"I don't regret it either, Tessy. Not for a second."

Tessa bit into her bottom lip as she thought about what he was saying. He was looking at her like he wanted to kiss her and she wasn't sure she would be able to stop him. She wasn't sure she would want to. With that being taken into account, Tessa was forced to remember what it had been like in 2008 when she was cheating on Rami with Colby. The guilt she had felt was something she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy, the damage she had done was something she wished on no one.

"If we- if this – _Colby_."

"I don't care, Tessy." Tessa looked at him hopelessly, trying to get across with just a look how badly he was about to screw up. How badly they were _both_ about to screw up. The expression on his face didn't change. He genuinely did not care about any repercussions.

Tessa reached out for his hand and pulled him into her hotel room, shutting the door gently behind her. She was backed up against the door, Colby's hands gripping into the hair at the nape of her neck. He tugged downwards so that she raised her head and he could kiss at her neck – she knew he was going to leave bruises.

Moans spilled from her mouth as he continued to kiss her neck, taking steps backwards into the room. She pouted when he lifted his lips but was pleasantly surprised when he captured her lips in a kiss. He moved his hands to her lips and lifted her into the air. She wrapped her legs around his waist and squeezed him close – there was already a bulge growing in his pants.

She wasn't sure if he was taking her to the bed at all until she realised that he was moving around so uncertainly because he didn't know where it was. She smiled into the kiss, her hands coming to rest at the collar of his t-shirt, the tips of her fingers disappearing beneath it.

"You wear your own merch, huh?" Tessa asked with a laugh, gripping it and pulling it over his head. She threw it across the room.

"I'll get you one," he said just before the backs of his legs hit the bed, causing him to drop down suddenly.

Tessa pushed her hands up the back of her own top and unclasped her bra before sliding off one strap and pulling it through the other arm of her shirt.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, jumping off Colby's lap.

"What?" Colby asked, looking at her worriedly.

"I have a photoshoot on Wednesday! Divas Day Off, right? I want to know what to wear!" she didn't need to explain to him that it was going to be in her underwear – that much was explained when she held up two bras – one maroon and lace, the other dark blue with polka dots.

"That one," he pointed to the maroon bra in her left hand before watching her drop them back into her suitcase and kick the lid shut.

She skipped back over to him, pushing him backwards so that she was hovering over his topless body. Smiling down at him, Tessa pulled her own shirt over her head and leant down to kiss him – their bare bodies touching and sending shivers through her.

He unbuckled his best and unbuttoned his jeans but with her straddling him he was unable to push them down his legs. She felt his hands on her ass. He was squeezing and pinching it because he loved the way she grinded against him every time he did so.

He flipped them over and made quick work of his jeans before doing the same with her skirt.

He kissed down her body slowly. She breathed heavily, one hand tangling in his hair and the other running over the scar on his upper back. "I should have been there."

He shook his head, "So should I."

His hand dropped to the back of her left knee. With the hand in his hair, Tessa pulled his face up to hers and kissed him softly.

When their lips parted, Colby pushed into her causing her to gasp and tug at his hair. He kissed her again as he slowly moved his hips back and forward. Her hips moved to meet with his and he began to quicken his pace, his hands resting either side of her body to keep himself up.

Tessa's free hand grabbed onto the bed sheets, balling them into a fist and the other hand joined suit. She broke their kiss and her head fell to the side and her bottom lip started to bleed as she bit down into it.

Colby buried his face into her neck as she began to tighten around him. She didn't cry out in pleasure, she was silent but her face told him all that he needed to know. Tessa's fists gripped into the sheet and her knuckles started to turn white as she rode out her orgasm. He wasn't far behind her, moaning into her neck as he came before he dropped slowly down on top of her. Tessa didn't mind his weight being on top of her, it made her feel safe in a way.

"I think I'm falling in love with you all over again," she whispered into silence after Colby had moved to lie beside her. He pulled her into his side, kissed the top of her head and started rubbing circles on her bare shoulder.

* * *

><p><em>-Monday Night Raw, February 3-<em>

_The newest addition to the Divas division had an unlikely partner in Eva Marie tonight on Raw as they faced off against Foxsana (Alicia Fox and Aksana). The match lasted for 4 minutes (barely enough time for that much needed bathroom break) and was ended when Tia applied the nameless cloverleaf submission. Much of the match was Tia vs. Alicia Fox, with Eva and Aksana entering the match for what could have been 30 seconds before tagging their partners back in. It was for the best. There is a lot of potential for Tia and Alicia Fox to have great matches._

* * *

><p>-February 5, 2014; Des Moines, Iowa-<p>

The Divas Day Off photoshoot began bright and early. People were banging on Tessa's hotel room door at 7am, not a minute earlier or later than they told her, and she was seriously regretting her late night.

Colby had come calling after the Smackdown taping. It was a shock to say the least; she had expected him to drive straight to Davenport to be with his girlfriend. Tessa asked why he hadn't done just that and he shrugged it off by saying that he was too tired to drive the 2 and a half hours alone. She finally kicked him out of her room at 5am when she woke up and panicked. If he'd been caught in her room when the photo and makeup teams came for her, it would not have gone down well at all.

Tessa was sat down in the bathroom, staring into the mirror and told to sit still. Having her makeup done was becoming less of a nuisance but the tugging at her hair still made her cringe at the worst moments. Her eyeliner had to be removed and redone at least three times.

"_Damn_ these are some stubborn hickeys," the young makeup girl spoke as she applied more concealer to Tessa's neck. "I didn't think you were getting any." Tessa's mouth gaped. "What? The girls talk when they're getting touched up."

"Curling iron?" Tessa suggested, knowing that it was the weakest excuse she could possibly come up with.

"Okay, if you say so."

It was eventually decided that Tessa would have to have her hair covering her hickeys during the photoshoot and that they could be photoshopped out if they had to be. She was extremely embarrassed at the reaction she was getting – apparently _everybody_ assumed she was lonely and they were all surprised.

They let her wear her maroon bra and panties set but suggested that she wear a sweater over the top because: "Who do you think we are? TNA? Please, we have class."

* * *

><p><strong>an thank you to _Livin on the EDGE, deanambooty, Imagineer1392, UntilNeverDawns, Straight Edge Queen, nmoxracha, CarolReigns, msgemgem, Westie86_ and _ajroleplays_ for reviewing!**

**I have decided to open up one shot requests for Christmas! There's more info on my profile so if you want me to write you a Christmas inspired one shot go check it out!**


	13. Put Your Heart Where Your Mouth Is

_Put Your Heart Where Your Mouth Is_

_-Smackdown, February 7-_

_The lone Divas match on the card was Tia vs. Tamina. Tamina, of course, had AJ standing in her corner and the Divas Champion was, unsurprisingly, a key component in the match and ultimately decided who the victor would be. AJ was able to distract Tia just long enough for Tamina to line up a superkick and get the pinfall. Tia, being the respectful Diva that she is, refrained from throwing a tantrum after the match and just watched AJ and Tamina as they ascended up the ramp._

_-Monday Night Raw, February 10-_

_AJ and Tamina strengthened their friendship when they faced Natalya and Tia tonight on Raw. The Champion was confident as always at the start of the match and almost had the Black Widow applied on Tia when Nattie came in and made the save. This caused Tamina to forcibly remove Natalya from the ring and AJ was able to hit Tia with a Shining Wizard and win the match. Tia's experience in the ring usually shows when she's in the ring but when she's wrestling alongside Nattie it's harder to determine who is better. Her Japanese training definitely shows though, it's obvious that she's striking harder than the other Divas._

_-Main Event, February 12-_

_Again we saw Tia and Eva Marie vs. Foxsana. It went very similarly to the first match but this time ended with Tia not even performing her finishing move. Tia got the pin after a nasty kick to the side of the head. It looked as though Tia was channelling her very first trainer, CM Punk, during the match with a flurry of body kicks and even the step up high knee that he used in almost all of his matches. I wonder if he was okay with that._

* * *

><p>-February 14, 2014; Phoenix, Arizona-<p>

Valentine's Day. It didn't matter that she was single, Tessa loved Valentine's Day. Seeing people shower their partners with love in any form always made Tessa's heart sing. She brought half a dozen de-thorned red roses from a florist at the airport even though she had no one person to give them to – she would deliver them at random to anyone she felt needed it.

"Miss!" Tessa had just walked out of the terminal and already someone was trying to get her attention.

"Yes?" she asked, assuming that the middle aged man was going to ask for an autograph. He wouldn't be the first of the day.

"A girl with roses looks like she might be on her way somewhere. Did you want this cab?"

"I'm on my way nowhere in particular," she said with a smile as she shook her head. "But thank you."

He shook his head, "By all means, take it. Your nowhere in particular is surely more important than mine."

"Oh, thank you," Tessa said and let go of her suitcase so that she could hug the man. "Happy Valentine's Day!" She beamed, taking a rose from the bouquet and extending to him. He bowed his head and took the rose from her before he helped her load her suitcases into the waiting taxi. "Have a fantastic day. I hope karma is wonderful to you."

Tessa handed her second rose to the cab driver after they had a lovely conversation about wrestling. He had also helped her bring her things into the hotel so she gave him a nice tip. She always treated Valentine's Day like a federal holiday – everyone who worked deserved to be treated extra nice.

After she checked in, she hauled her suitcase to the elevator and smiled to herself for being smart enough to arrive a day early. The WWE talent had no obligations to be in Phoenix until the 15th but those who were staying with their partners for Valentine's Day would have to fly out early Saturday morning whereas Tessa would be well rested after a nice sleep in.

"Oh, wow, you got roses? From who?"

Tessa smiled when the elevator doors opened to reveal Summer Rae who was grinning and reaching out to touch the four roses Tessa still had left.

"No I give them out to people." She looked at the roses in her hand and, once in the elevator, let go of her suitcase to pull one free. "Happy Valentine's Day, my love."

"Oh Tessa!" Summer gasped, placing a hand to her chest. "You shouldn't have!"

The girls laughed together at Summer's dramatic acting.

When Tessa questioned why Summer was going back up, the blonde shrugged and said that they should hang out given that they were two of the only people in Phoenix. Both of them agreed that given that they were single it was easier to fly out the day before the house show and sleep in rather than rush around in the morning.

"You room by yourself, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't mind. I don't have to worry about annoying anyone, you know?"

Summer nodded in understanding as they reached Tessa's floor and walked towards her room. Tessa knew that it was a lie – having a room to herself sucked. It was lonely and quiet, something that Tessa had never really had to deal with before. Though if she was going to continue whatever she had going with Colby... It was going to be necessary.

"This is a cute outfit," Summer commented, tugging at the bottom of Tessa's white dress lightly. "You kind of look like you're about to get married."

Tessa looked down at her dress and laughed, "I tried to counteract it with the jacket... Probably should have done the same with the shoes, too." She shrugged at Summer who just smiled at her.

* * *

><p>Tessa had, begrudgingly, agreed to go out with Summer that night. Summer – who had grown to prefer her ring name over her real name – convinced the newest Diva that being single on Valentine's Day meant going out and she enlisted the help of Phoenix local Dolph Ziggler. Tessa gave him her final rose.<p>

"You getting married?" Dolph asked when he noticed Tessa's dress. She rolled her eyes. He turned to Summer and said, "You should have told me we were going to a wedding. I would have dressed up a bit more."

"You guys are mean," Tessa said lamely as she tugged at the hem of her dress.

Summer leaned over and kissed Tessa's cheek, assuring her that she looked fantastic and that they were just joking. Dolph immediately copied the action, leaving Tessa a little confused but nonetheless relieved.

She knew that Summer was going to wear something more appropriate for a club, something tight and no doubt short, but Tessa also knew that they were going for different reasons. Summer would try to hook up with someone – she had made it clear that that was her plan for the night – while Tessa was more than happy to just sit in a booth, drink a little and watch.

Over the next 4 hours Tessa was propositioned by no less than 7 men. 3 of those men recognised her as a WWE Diva, 2 had been beyond drunk and 4 had decided to sit down next to her and put their hand on her thigh. Only 1 of those men had left after she told him she wasn't interested, the other 3 had to be warned off by Dolph.

"I think I'm going to head off," she said after Dolph had gotten rid of the 4th man. "It's like, what? Nearly 3?"

Dolph looked down at his watch and nodded, "Yeah, 10 to. I would love to offer to get you back to the hotel but you're relatively sober and Summer-"

"Stay and make sure she's okay," Tessa agreed with a warm smile. "Thank you, though. I hope you got to have some fun and weren't just babysitting us all night."

Dolph shook his head, assuring her that he had had plenty of fun. She felt his hand hover over the small of her back as he walked her to the front of the club and paid the bouncer 50 dollars to make sure she got into a cab okay.

_-Smackdown, February 14-_

_The crowd in Ontario, California, were offered a nice treat on Smackdown. They were able to see Natalya face off against Tia live. The match was one of the best performances put on by Divas in quite a while as both participants in the match have a lot of experience under their belts and, notably, a lot of time in Japan. Tia eventually won the match (it went on for 10 minutes, which is unusual for Divas matches these days) after locking in the cloverleaf. Nattie looked embarrassed after being made to tap out but Tia's offered hand shake was accepted and both Divas looked pleased with their match._

* * *

><p>-February 15, 2014-<p>

Tessa was woken up at 6.30 after roughly 3 hours of sleep by a loud banging on her hotel room door. At first she just rolled back over figuring that it couldn't possibly have been her door that was being assaulted but when the noise continued she threw back the covers and stomped towards it.

She pushed the stray hairs out of her face and peered through the hole in the door. The Shield were standing on the other side of her door – Jon the one beating his fist against the wood. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Tessa cracked the door open.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

"We're going to the gym," Jon told her, throwing a piece of clothing at her face.

"What?" she repeated with a furrowed brow. "I've barely slept I don't want to-"

"You're gonna go back in there, get changed and then come to the gym with us. If you take longer than 5 minutes I will start banging on the door again."

Tessa's gaze moved to Colby and Joe, both of them shrugging with unapologetic looks. She sighed and shut the door, moving towards her luggage. When she stretched out her arms to look at the shirt, she laughed. Colby had said he would get her a Shield shirt and that's exactly what she had in her hands.

After tying her hair back into a ponytail and putting on a pair of Capri leggings and her new shirt, Tessa hurried into the bathroom to her make-up bag. It was pointless to apply a full face of make-up to head to the gym, that much she knew, but getting such little sleep meant that bags had formed under her eyes and there was no harm hiding them with some concealer.

Tessa quickly packed her gym bag, pulled on her sneakers and pulled open the door.

"You," she looked straight to Jon, "are buying me breakfast."

"Can't argue with that."

They all walked to the car, Colby turning around to pull faces at Tessa as they did so. She pretended to ignore him but was struggling to hide the smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

She paid no attention to the CrossFit sign on the front of the building - it didn't mean anything to her other than being the name of a local gym.

"I hope you're ready for this," Joe said, patting her shoulder sympathetically.

"What do you mean?" Tessa asked with a frown as the three men walked in front of her.

Colby stopped at the front desk and ushered her over to him so that they could sign her up.

"What is Joe talking about?" She asked Colby who just smiled at her. "What? Colby?"

He handed her a pen and told her to sign the bottom of the page but didn't answer her question. With the same small frown she signed the paper before walking through towards the actual gym. Only it wasn't a gym like she'd ever seen before.

Being in the wrestling business she knew that there was a wide variety of different gyms... CrossFit was a completely different ballpark.

After they warmed up, Colby handed Tessa a piece of paper with a list of three things written on it. Tessa scrunched up her face and looked back to him when she read it.

"This," he pointed to the paper, "is _Jackie_. A benchmark workout that I want you to try."

"I just have to do those?" Tessa asked, reading the list again: _1000 meter row, thrusters 45lbs – 50 reps, pull ups – 30_. "What's a thruster?"

Colby pulled her towards the weights and demonstrated what a thruster was. Tessa pulled a small face as he squatted – even though it happened 4 years ago, her knee injury was always playing on her mind.

"The idea is to do it as fast as you can but don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Colby spoke quietly making sure Tessa knew that he was serious. "You've never done it before and I don't want you to hurt yourself. Take your time."

Tessa nodded and assured him that she knew her own limits. He followed her to the rowing machine and stood beside her, starting the stop watch on his phone.

The 1000 metres was barely anything. Rowing was one of her favourite things to do at the gym – granted she didn't usually try to sprint but it wasn't proving difficult at all. She clocked in at 3 minutes and 17 seconds and left Colby with a gaping mouth.

The thrusters proved more difficult. She was too conscious of the movement of her knees to be able to complete the 50 reps quickly or consecutively.

"Are you okay?" Colby asked when she stopped at 10 reps. "You want to stop?"

Tessa shook her head and breathed deeply. Colby holding a timer in his hands made her want to keep going and prove that she could do it. 4 minutes and 43 seconds later and she had completed all 50 thrusters.

People were staring as started her pull ups. It might have been her declaration that she was going to get through them without a break or it might have been Jon and Joe stopping their workouts to join Colby in supporting her.

"You can use your momentum," Colby told her as her pull ups slowed a little.

"That's cheating," she said with gritted teeth. He smiled at her, proud that she was sticking to her guns.

True to her word, Tessa completed all pull ups from a dead hang and she did so in 2 minutes and 6 seconds.

"10 minutes and 6 seconds," Colby said as she showed her his phone. "That's _crazy_ for your first time."

"You guys need to go to Japan," she said, her chest heaving up and down as she tried to regulate her breathing. "This is _easy_."

All three Shield members laughed at her, knowing that if what she'd done had been 'easy' then she wouldn't look so exhausted.

Tessa didn't do much after _Jackie_. She was sure it was psychosomatic but her knee was feeling a little stiff and she didn't want to do anything more than she had to in case she injured it again.

In September 2010 she tore her left meniscus in the middle of a match when she jumped from the top rope and landed flat foot, jarring her knee. It required surgery and she was out of action for 6 months. That time was spent in Seattle where she remained under the radar – it was no secret throughout the wrestling world that she was injured but she had managed to keep her whereabouts under wraps.

While The Shield continued their workouts, Tessa stayed to the side and started to do some yoga stretches. She was well aware that it was out of place – Colby's constant confused looks only solidified it – but with only 10 minutes of a workout under her belt for the day she felt that she had to do _something_.

When Colby appeared by her side a half hour later, she took hold of his outstretched hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"Picture time, come on."

"No!" she gasped, dropping his hand and stepping backwards.

"What?"

"I look _terrible_! And besides, do you really want people to know that we're hanging out?"

"We're adults; we're allowed to hang out."

Opening her mouth to remind him that they hadn't just 'hung out' since 2007, she was forced to stop when Jon and Joe walked towards them. Jon didn't look too happy about being roped into a photo but Joe seemed happy enough. Tessa huffed before staring into the mirrors on the wall and attempting to fix her hair into something that resembled normal.

They stood in a line, Tessa in between Jon and Colby with Joe on Colby's other side. Her smile faltered for a second as Colby surprised her by putting his hand on the small of her back. After regaining her composure she threw up her signature peace sign.

"Now you get a Twitter," Colby said casually as he retrieved his phone from the employee who took the photo.

"I'm not getting a Twitter account," Tessa said quickly. "I love the fans but I don't need them knowing everything about my life."

"See, _she_ gets it." Jon turned to look at her, "They're fucking pointless."

"You don't have to put up _everything_ about your life," Colby countered. "Just what you want to share."

"I don't want to share anything..." She started to think about anything that had happened in recent memory that she would have been okay with sharing with the world – her annual giving of flowers was the only thing that came to mind. "Literally nothing interesting happens in my life."

"Well, that's a lie but I'll let it go. You okay with this?"

_Tia's first CrossFit session! She's a natural._

"That's really lame," she told him with a laugh. "But it's fine."

She watched him hit send and the tweet was sent out into the world for anyone to see. It wouldn't go down well with anyone who knew their history – she was sure of it – but they were adults. They were allowed to hang out. _Right?_

* * *

><p><strong>an thanks to _deanambooty, Livin on the EDGE, UntilNeverDawns, ajroleplays, Imagineer1392, nmoxracha_ and _Straight Edge Queen_ for reviewing! 100 reviews! :D woo!**


	14. I Just Want It To Be Perfect

_I Just Want It To Be Perfect_

_-Monday Night Raw, February 17-_

_AJ and Tamina took on Tia and Eva Marie in a tag team match tonight (maybe Eva and Tia are friends backstage? I can't think of any other reason WWE would keep making them team in matches) in a losing effort. Tia debuted a new finisher, a gory bomb, and was able to pin the Divas champion herself to end the match. AJ was furious as Eva got her hands on the title and pushed it into the arms of an unsuspecting Tia. Tia timidly held it in the air and did her little curtsy. She doesn't look too bad as champion._

* * *

><p>-February 23, 2014; Minneapolis, Minnesota-<p>

Tessa's time had come and her brain was working overtime as she tried to remember the ending to the match in more detail than 'AJ loses, I win'.

The show would begin in less than an hour and her match was 6th on the card. She and AJ had spent most of the day discussing their match with Jamie Noble working out specific spots and what had to be put across during their allotted time. A whole 7 minutes they had.

"You're going on after The Shield vs. The Wyatts so you need to make this _really_ good."

"No pressure or anything," AJ muttered under her breath, holding the title tightly in her lap.

"We've got this," Tessa said in a reassuring voice. "You and I can both wrestle well enough that this match is going to be worth seeing – people _know_ that."

"This isn't Japan," AJ said coldly. "This isn't _joshi_. These people aren't here to watch Divas battle it out. They're here to see men whip each other into steel chains."

"Then we make them leave wanting to see Divas battle it out," Tessa responded simply. She knew from the look on AJ's face that her message wasn't getting across. AJ had tried many times to steal the show, to start the Diva Division anew, but each time had come up short.

Tessa wasn't coming in and claiming to be a revolutionary, she wasn't that crazy to think that one woman could change the entire division, but she was coming in and determined to do her best. If that was enough to kick start a movement then so be it.

* * *

><p><em>-Live on Elimination Chamber-<em>

AJ Lee was standing in the centre of the ring, demanding the attention of everyone in the Target Center. Tamina was by her side, both looking unimpressed.

"I arrived here in Minneapolis today, not knowing that I was going to have a match," AJ said into a microphone, scoffing before she continued. "I get told backstage by _Brad Maddox,_ less than half an hour ago, that I am required to defend my championship. So, if anyone back there is game enough to face me then by _all means _come out and challenge-"

**_She barely knew your name._**

AJ groaned loudly at the music cutting her off. It had become a bit of a running gag that Tia's music cut her off midsentence. As always, Tia walked through the curtain and offered a peace sign to the crowd before she walked towards the ring blowing kisses.

"You're extremely rude," AJ commented as Tia walked around to get a microphone before she entered the ring.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead, say what you were going to say," Tia said, gesturing for AJ to continue with a hand wave and a small smile.

AJ responded through gritted teeth, "I don't really need to. I assume you're here to answer the challenge."

"Right you are, Miss Lee!" Tia said excitedly. "Good luck."

Tia dropped the microphone to the mat near the timekeeper's table and moved around to the other side of the ring so that AJ could do the same. Tia held her hand out for AJ to shake but the gesture was ignored.

She shrugged, if she was offended she wasn't going to show it.

* * *

><p>The end of the match was nearing and the Divas were virtually at a stale mate; neither seemed to have a distinct advantage over the other. The crowd, for the most part, were at least interested in the match. They weren't particularly vocal but they were keeping the jeering to a minimum.<p>

After a swift back kick to the stomach, Tia had AJ doubled over. Everyone knew what was coming and there was a small chorus of cheers as Tia placed AJ's head between her thighs as though she was about to hit a facebuster. Only, instead of planting AJ then and there, she hauled the small Diva over her shoulder so that they were back to back.

AJ's legs instinctively wrapped around Tia's waist as her arms were hooked and, when Tia let go of her arms, she was sent face first into the mat.

Tia quickly turned around and rolled AJ over, hooking her leg.

_1_

_2_

_3_

"Tia's done it! We have a new Diva's Champion!"

Tia gasped and sat back on her haunches. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped as she stared at the referee.

"I did it?" she asked with a gasp. "I won?"

Jumping to her feet, Tia was still wide eyed when the belt was handed to her and her hand was raised in victory. She wrapped her arms around the championship felt tears well in her eyes. She mightn't have been with the company very long but it had been a long time dream of hers to be the top of the Women's Division in the WWE.

In her right hand she held the championship above her head and then she beamed to the Minneapolis crowd before curtseying and thanking them.

_-Off Air-_

Tessa, once she stepped behind the curtain, broke into a run. No time was spared to even glance at the people congratulating her she just sprinted down the halls asking people if they knew where William Regal was.

She was pointed in his direction and when she saw him standing with Stephanie McMahon she hesitated. She knew that what she wanted to do was a little unorthodox and doing it in front of someone as important as Stephanie might have been seen as unprofessional.

She decided to do it anyway.

She walked hastily towards Regal and when she was standing in front of him she wrapped her arms around his waist, her championship was digging uncomfortably into her stomach but she ignored the feeling.

"Are you okay, love?" he asked, looking down at the top of her head.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said repeatedly, squeezing him tighter. "I am so, so grateful for you for giving me this opportunity and I wouldn't be here without you and I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you."

"No, no, love," Regal rubbed at her back as he laughed. "You got here because you deserve it. You have that title because you deserve it."

"He's right," Stephanie agreed. "We've been looking at you for awhile, Tessa."

Tessa finally let Regal out of the hug and she turned to look at Stephanie.

"Thank you," she breathed.

* * *

><p>The show was about to end and most people, if they hadn't already left, were all standing around monitors watching the final match of the night, so Tessa took the opportunity to check in on Colby. He looked particularly sore at the end of The Shield vs. The Wyatts and she was concerned.<p>

She knocked on the locker room door and Colby opened it, smiling softly at her. She placed her championship on a chair and followed him to his little section of the room. He sat down and she noticed his slow movements.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Then why do you wince every time you move?"

"It's a bit tender, but I'm fine."

"Give me a look," Tessa said quietly, walking closer to him. She was worried, that much he could tell by her voice.

"It's nothing, Tessy."

"Just a quick look to ease my mind," she bargained, pouting at him. He huffed at her as she stood right in front of him with her hands on his shoulders.

He closed his eyes and sighed, "I don't think it's going to ease your mind."

"Off," Tessa ordered lightly, tugging at the bottom of his shirt. He opened his eyes, frowning up at her, and reached to the back of his neck so he could pull his shirt over his head. Tessa noticed that he grimaced.

She gasped when she noticed the huge bruise beginning to form on Colby's left side. She reached a hand out, touching just beside the tender spot.

"Ring post?"

"Yeah," Tessa agreed quietly, "Looks like it. It's pretty nasty, though. You should remember it."

"Could have happened at anytime."

Tessa pouted at him again, leaning forward to place a timid kiss on his lips. He placed his hands on her waist and guided her onto his lap. Resting her head in the crook of his neck, Tessa sighed.

"This is really dangerous. People are already talking about the photos-"

"I'm really proud of you," he whispered into her hair. "You were amazing, Tessy."

She smiled to herself and buried her face further into his neck. She could feel her cheeks heating up – explaining why she was getting embarrassed would have been impossible.

"I'm the champion."

* * *

><p>-February 24, 2014; Green Bay, Wisconsin-<p>

"Ladies and gentleman, Sam Roberts here in Green Bay ready for Monday Night Raw later this evening but right now I'm here with WWE Diva, Tia!"

"Hi! Sorry, I'm a bit nervous. This is my first interview."

"No, don't be nervous! _I'm _nervous."

"Oh, no, that's silly."

"See when you agreed to being on this interview, I thought I was just getting Tia but you're now the Divas Champion. Of course I'm nervous! Can I ask what was the first thing you did after you won?"

"I, uh, chased down William Regal and gave him a huge hug."

"For real?"

"Yeah, he's the one who really pushed for me to be signed. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay him."

"It was only a matter of time before you got signed. You're a fantastic wrestler."

"Oh, thank you."

"Had you been waiting for the phone call?"

"No, well, I mean, everyone is waiting for phone call. Everyone wants to get it but I wasn't ever expecting one."

"The internet _loves_ you. You're a real internet darling. I've seen plenty of comments flying around about how you're the best Diva on the roster and that you're going to really help the Divas division."

"No, that really bothers me actually. People don't say that Daniel Bryan is a fantastic wrestler and then completely ignore the rest of the talent on the roster. People appreciate Daniel Bryan and CM Punk and Dean Ambrose and Cesaro and Randy Orton and all of those guys. Why can't it be the same for the Divas? I'm flattered that they think so highly of me but I don't go out there and wrestle myself. I've heard people compliment my matches and tell me how well I did and they completely fail to mention my opponent. I don't care if I carried the match – good matches happen because all participants give it their all. Yes, okay, some people have the ability to make _everyone _look good. I can't do that. I'm not good enough to do that. Please, for the love of God, do not discount the other Divas. Everyone knows that AJ and Nattie are great wrestlers but Alicia Fox is great, too. The Bellas are _so _good. You have no idea how hard those girls work to be appreciated, and people discount them. It makes me _mad_."

"No, I completely get that. I've met a few of the girls and I know that they work their asses off and it must suck to read some of the comments."

"I'm not going to lie – I've googled my name and I've read some of the articles and the comments. I know that there are people who won't be happy that I've got this belt but there are also people who will think that I'm the only one who should be holding it. But no, that's not what I'm here for, you know. I'm here because I worked harder than anything to be a WWE Diva but everyone did."

"You mentioned quite a few names before. Who has influenced you the most in wrestling?"

"My brother, Jimmy Jacobs. I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for him. I was 12 when he really started getting involved and I was like 'I want to be like my big brother!' and I did it. Um, CM Punk, too. He trained me. He was tough but if he hadn't have been tough then I wouldn't have made it this far."

"You were trained by CM Punk – that's got to give you some brownie points _somewhere_, right?"

"You'd be surprised."

"No?"

"I don't even know if I'm allowed to talk about him, to be honest. It definitely helped on the indies all those years ago but so did being part of Age of the Fall."

"You've really been around, huh? You must have worked just about every promotion in North America."

"That's an exaggeration. I didn't graduate college until 2007 so that was pretty limiting in terms of just how much I could do."

"Where did you go to college?"

"A liberal arts college not far from ROH. So that was convenient, but I spent a lot of time in California down at PWG, too. I cannot tell you how many times I finished assignments in cars or on planes."

"We're talking about Ring of Honor so I have to ask about the pictures with Seth Rollins that he seems to be posting more regularly. Not to mention the ones that fans keep posting about you arriving together at the arenas."

"I ride with The Shield most days. I've known Seth for literally years."

"Are you bothered by the rumours that are flying around? You've seen those, right?"

"I've seen them all. He has a girlfriend and everybody knows that he has a girlfriend. People are just looking for fuel – whether it's to hate me or because they're still living back in Age of the Fall... I couldn't tell you."

"I'm sorry, I would love to speak to you some more but I'm being told that you have places to be."

"Really? Already?"

"You'll have to come back. Maybe I'll see you at WrestleMania and we can get you back on the show?"

"You're going to be at Mania? We'll have to talk again."

"We barely even touched on the US circuit let alone Japan, so I'm going to need you to come back and tell me all about it."

"I can't wait."

* * *

><p>"How long have you two been friends for?" Joe asked, looking between Tessa and Jon as they started flicking each other with elastic bands that they managed to find.<p>

"We've only met once," Tessa told Joe, dodging to the side. "He showed up to a party at my house."

"I was invited by your boyfriend – the birthday boy."

"Yeah," Tessa nodded, aiming at the back of Jon's head as he turned around, "I know. But you didn't even introduce yourself; you just walked up to me after we cut the cake and asked me if I had any pot."

"Which you didn't." He faced her and put his hand over his heart, "Broke my heart."

"But to answer your question," she looked back to Joe, "no we haven't been friends for a long time."

"I know everything about her, though," Jon revealed casually. "Between Jimmy and Seth I know all her dirty little secrets."

"No you don't," Tessa said through gritted teeth, glaring a hole straight through him.

"That night we met," Jon paused briefly only to smirk and continue in a jovial voice, "I broke your coffee table."

"That was _you_?!" Tessa shouted in his ear, horror coming over her face.

"Yeah," he nodded, still smirking. "I stood on it and it gave way."

"I screamed at Jay for that!" Tessa worried to herself, thinking back to that night.

"Yeah," Colby laughed loudly. He turned to Jon, "She tore Jay Briscoe a new one. It was hilarious."

Tessa rolled her eyes as all three of them burst out in laughter. Colby leaned into her, draping his arm over her shoulders and rubbing her upper arm as he laughed. She shook her head at the proud grin Jon had on his face.

She looked to the three men around her and, as she often did, considered their futures with the company.

Roman Reigns was set. He had the look, the background and the ability. Sure, he was still relatively green in terms of the sport but he was improving every time he stepped into the ring and it couldn't be ignored.

Dean Ambrose's future was undeniable. From the moment he was signed he had been nothing but unbelievable – she heard people talking about how he'd been given a televised match based on a _promo_ even before anyone saw him wrestle in front of them.

Seth Rollins scared her. There was no denying how much he deserved to do great things but part of her was worried that he would get lost in the shuffle once The Shield was over. His reactions from the crowd were only really fantastic when he did crazy spots whereas Ambrose and Reigns were receiving pretty consistent reactions.

She smiled up at him as he let her go and hoped that his future was as bright as it should be.

_-Monday Night Raw, February 24-_

_In a rematch from Elimination Chamber, Tia retained her newly won Divas Championship against AJ Lee. It ended similarly with Tia hitting the gory bomb and getting the pin. Tia seems genuinely happy that she's the champion and AJ is quite the opposite. I'm hoping to see more matches between these two; their styles complement each other well._

* * *

><p><strong>an thanks to _Imagineer1392, UntilNeverDawns, ajroleplays, nmoxracha, deanambooty, Straight Edge Queen_ and _CarolReigns_ for reviewing!**

**Check out my profile if you want a Christmas themed one shot! Don't be shy!**


	15. Everything Felt So Wrong

_Everything Felt So Wrong_

-February 27, 2014; Winter Park, Florida-

With her Divas championship hanging over her shoulder, Tessa walked through Full Sail Live. The first person she spotted was, much to her relief, the man who wrestled as Adrian Neville. He had already changed into his trunks and was stretching against a wall.

"Guess who gets the honour of keeping me entertained tonight?" Adrian rose to his feet and hugged Tessa.

"Look at you, love," he smiled at her and pointed at the belt. "I'm in the presence of royalty."

"I try, I try. Will we be rulers together after tonight?" She asked him, referring to his NXT Championship that would take place as the main event.

"That would be telling," he said pointedly, wagging his finger at her. "You'll have to wait and see just like everyone else."

"You're killing me, here, PAC," she joked.

"I saw you talking to Cena before. You look like you're friends with John bloody Cena."

"I am," Tessa nodded, laughing at the look of shock that appeared on Adrian's face. "What?! I'm friends with Nikki and by default I'm friends with John."

Adrian shook his head in disbelief, "Bloody hell. You been with the company barely any time at all and you're already friends with the most important guy in the company."

Tessa shoved his shoulder and rolled her eyes as he started to joke about her friendship with John Cena being the only reason she won the Divas Championship so quickly. She argued with him playfully until she realised that they were walking towards the main crowd of superstars.

"Um, so... I'm going to stay clear of Rami."

"It's been so long, Tess."

"I just don't want to start anything," she sighed. "I know you two are best friends so I'm not going to keep you away from him all night."

"I think he'd be happy to see you. He's really proud of what you've done," Adrian told her. Tessa shook her head.

"You know what happened last time I saw him." She referred to having the door slammed in her face. The two had spoken a fair amount since she returned to the United States. "I'm not going to start anything."

Tessa, despite Adrian trying to assure her that nothing was going to happen, decided that it was definitely better if she stayed away from Rami. It had been her plan since she found out she would be going to NXT.

Tessa wandered off in the opposite direction and didn't really mind who she ran into – almost no one on the NXT roster had been working the same independents as she when everything went down – though she was pleasantly surprised when she came across the NXT Divas: Bayley, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte.

They all looked up in surprise as they saw the Divas Champion walking towards them and were even more wide eyed when she asked if she could sit with them. They all nodded and made a spot for Tessa who smiled at them and immediately engaged them in a conversation about what television shows they were all watching.

The conversation turned to animals as Alexa asked to see photos of Bayley's new dog, Arnold. Tessa's face lit up at the sight of Border Collie puppy.

"You named him Arnold?" Tessa cooed, "He actually looks like an Arnold, oh my."

"Do you have a dog?"

"No," Tessa shook her head. "It doesn't feel right being on the road so much. I have fish though, six little angelfish."

"Fish? That's so boring," Alexa laughed.

"I'm deathly allergic," Tessa stated, laughing too. "I was going for irony."

The girls laughed as Tessa shrugged nonchalantly. They continued their conversation about animals while they waited for the live show to start.

* * *

><p>Tessa knew that she was about to cry – technically she had already started – but she was making no effort to hide it. She was proud – <em>insanely proud<em>. The match she had just witnessed would be burned into her mind forever as one of the best she had ever seen. She wasn't exactly surprised.

"Are you okay?" Bayley asked, noticing the tears that were falling down Tessa's cheeks. "What's wrong?"

"That was just a really good match," Tessa said as she tried to dab away the tears with the backs of her fingers. "Those guys mean a lot to me and to see them doing so well... I'm really pathetic, I know."

Bayley shook her head, "No, I get it."

More tears formed as she watched Cesaro pull Sami Zayn into a hug and whisper something in his ear. She would never know what was said between them – knowing them both it would be their secret forever – but plenty of things flew through her mind and they made her heart swell.

"It's been so long since I've spoken to either of them properly... I just want them to know how proud I am."

"You should just tell them," Bayley said happily. "I won't lie: I've heard what happened. That doesn't mean they're going to get angry at you for complimenting them."

At that moment Rami and Claudio walked backstage. Her teary eyes follow them and she smiled lightly. They both looked at her – Claudio didn't seem too fussed, he just continued to walk but Rami's eyes flickered up and down her body and he paused only to be guided out a door by Triple H.

"You aren't going to cry all night are you?" Bayley asked cautiously. "I'm a bit worried that you might dehydrate."

"Depends on the rest of the matches," Tessa answered, breathing out a laugh. "If Adrian Neville wins then I can make no promises."

They laughed together as Tessa wiped the last tears from her eyes.

* * *

><p>Tessa paused and held her breath upon hearing something around the corner. She tried to work out who it was by just listening for a minute but all she could decipher was that they were crying. She sucked in a deep breath and followed the crying. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of Darcy Quinn sitting on the floor, hugging her legs and sobbing into her knees.<p>

The blonde looked up upon hearing Tessa's footsteps and hastily made to wipe away her tears and turn her head away.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Tessa asked quietly, kneeling down in front of Darcy.

Darcy inhaled deeply and shot her a half-hearted glare, "I'm nobody's sweetheart." She hiccupped dramatically, all seriousness being removed from her sentence by the jolt that moved through her body.

"Sorry," Tessa apologised. Her brow furrowed in worry as Darcy began to cry again. She was definitely the last person Tessa expected to see. "What's wrong? Do you need me to call Jon?"

"No!" Darcy shouted in protest, lunging forward to take hold of Tessa's shirt. "Don't call Jon!"

"Alright, alright," Tessa said calmly, covering Darcy's hands with her own. "You have to tell me what's wrong."

Darcy shook her head and pulled her hands back, wrapping her arms around her legs once more. She gasped slightly, her body clearly struggling through the sobbing. Tessa moved to sit beside Darcy, instinctively wrapping an arm around Darcy's shoulders and squeezing tightly.

"Why?" Darcy asked breathlessly. "_How? _What possesses someone to _cheat_?"

Tessa froze. She couldn't breathe. She looked down at Darcy and thought over her options. She didn't have many.

Whenever she'd been asked why she had cheated on Rami, she always told the truth – that she loved Colby just as much. Telling that to Darcy would kill her just as it had done Rami. To hear that the one you love is in love with someone else is the worst pain imaginable. Even so many years later Tessa can see Rami's face crumble as she tells him she loves Colby as well. It's an image engrained in her mind that shows no signs of leaving.

"I don't know, Darcy," Tessa sighed sadly. "I can't tell you."

"Why did you?" Darcy asked in a quiet voice. It was completely unrecognisable. Tessa took a deep breath, preparing herself for the explanation but she found her voice getting stuck in her throat. "Does he not love me anymore?"

Tessa couldn't stop the tear that slides down her cheek when she heard Darcy's voice crack horribly. Darcy was broken, something Tessa could never have prepared herself for.

"Everyone's different," she chose to say. "I can't tell you why Jon would do that but I'm sure there's a good reason. A misunderstanding, maybe?"

"It just hurts so much," Darcy sobbed, clutching at her chest. "I've never felt so worthless."

Tessa squeezed the blonde tighter. Colby had told Tessa all about how hard the younger woman's life had been. From what Tessa knew, Darcy had always been told she was good for nothing. To hear that it was heartbreak that made her question herself was the saddest thing Tessa had ever heard.

Tessa didn't say anything else, just kept a tight grip on Darcy as she blinked back her own tears.

"You're so far from worthless, Darcy."

* * *

><p>-February 28, 2014-<p>

Tessa was a little horrified when Rami was the first person she saw as she headed into the NXT arena. She was more horrified when it looked as though he was going to stop her and talk with her. In response to the almost contact, Tessa picked up her pace and quickly went about finding Paige so that they could discuss their match. It had been her intention to do so, anyway.

Tessa gasped, she had been walking so fast and checking over her shoulder so frequently that she had bumped into someone backstage. A pair of hands gripped her upper arms to steady her.

"Whoa, where's the fire?"

"Sorry," she apologised quickly, taking a step away from the man who she had collided with. She smiled when she recognised him. "You're Sami Callihan."

"You're June Jacobs," he said back in much the same tone: surprised and impressed. "What were you running from?"

Tessa shook her head, "Nothing. I tend to walk too fast and don't pay much attention to where I'm going. This happens far too often."

No, actually, she couldn't remember the last time she'd physically bumped into someone because she hadn't been looking where she was going. Though, he didn't need to know that.

"Okay, watch yourself then," he said kindly, stepping out of her way. "Also it's not Sami any more. Just in case we ever meet again in the depths of this place it's Solomon Crowe. That other guy has my name."

Oh, she knew it.

"Okay," she nodded, "I'll keep that in mind. You can call me June, Tia or Tessa. I answer to all three now."

"I'm surprised you haven't gone through an identity crisis."

She shrugged her shoulders lightly at him with another smile gracing her face. She waved goodbye to him as she continued down the corridor in the direction of the Divas locker room.

* * *

><p><em>-Taped for NXT, March 6-<em>

Paige's music hit and the crowd cheered for her entrance and she did her thing on the way to the ring when she took a microphone from Byron Saxton.

"I _know_ that all of you watched NXT ArRival last night – if you didn't then you missed out on a fantastic night – but what you didn't know was that Tia, the _Divas Champion_, was hanging around backstage and she's even here tonight. It was great to finally get to meet her," Paige assured the crowd before she shrugged and continued, "I just want to show her that I am the better wrestler. So, this is me challenging Tia to a match that'll prove who the best champion is."

The obligatory few seconds passed, leaving the crowd and Paige to wonder whether or not the challenge would be answered.

_She barely knew your name_.

Tia grinned as she walked onto the stage and in the ring Paige smiled. Tia, wearing her ring gear, had a microphone in hand, her championship around her waist and showed a peace sign to the NXT audience who cheered for her. She was elated at the reaction and jumped up happily before walking to the ring with a spring in her step.

"The last time I answered a challenge I won this championship," Tia answered, gesturing to the butterfly on her stomach. "You have yourself a match, Paige. May the best champion win."

Paige nodded, the usual '_I will_' was implied by her smirk.

They both walked to the same side of the ring to place their microphones down and give their championships to Byron Saxton to mind at ringside, Tia, being the polite one, stood back and motioned for Paige to go first.

A referee made his way to the ring and the two stood opposite each in the centre of the ring. Tia, as always, held out her hand for her opponent to shake and Paige shook it before putting on her game face and beginning to move in a circle around Tia. Tia reacted instantly, mimicking the action and the Divas began to goad each other in the middle of the ring.

Tia lunged forward first but Paige ducked and caught her in a waist lock.

Tia barely had time to try power out of the hold before Paige dropped her into a front mat slam. Tia immediately rolled away and moved to a sitting position, surveying Paige from the floor.

She pushed herself to her feet, nodded in approval before quickly rushing at Paige. The sudden speed caught the Brit off guard and Tia was able to apply her own waist lock. She toyed with her opponent, tightening the hold and writhing around instead of going straight for offence.

"It's very rare that Tia allows her opponents to get the better of her in quick succession. There's a reason she's champion after such little time in the company: she's the best," Regal commented as Tia let go of the hold, took Paige's right arm and jumped into the air. She was able to manoeuvre Paige's arm between her legs and rest her legs over Paige's chest. Paige fell to the ground as the armbar was locked in.

"Paige won't go down without a fight and she's proven that before."

"Oh, I know that. Paige is the NXT Women's Champion, she's the best we've got down here, I just think that Tia will get the better of her in this match. Not only has she trained in Japan but even before she got into wrestling she was training in Judo and what you're seeing right now is a classic Judo move."

Tia pulled at Paige's arm and pressed her legs down, attempting to hyperextend Paige's arm but she was forced to break the hold when the NXT Diva reached the ropes.

* * *

><p>Paige's hands gripped into the hair on Tia's head and the next thing she knew she had been thrown across the room by her hair. She groaned in pain and held onto her head as Paige moved over to her. Tia thrashed as Paige lifted her and began to apply her Scorpion Cross Lock.<p>

Before Paige was able to get hold of Tia's arm, the latter began to furiously strike with her arms.

The sudden attacks caused Paige to flinch and, after a particularly vicious jab to the stomach, she was forced to let Tia go.

The move Tia performed next had become a signature and a precursor to the end. Tia dropped down and hit Paige with the low spinning kick, knocking her onto her back before rolling her onto her stomach.

Tia stood over Paige and reached down to grab her legs. Paige began to squirm, understanding what was about to happen. Tia, after applying the cloverleaf, leant backwards so that the back of her head was almost touching the back of Paige's.

Paige managed to hold on for a little while but eventually she gave in and Tia heard her hand connect with the mat.

Tia let go immediately – being the fair competitor that she is – and helped Paige to her feet. Paige was weary at first but ultimately accepted that hand Tia was offering her.

Tia pulled Paige into a hug before the referee even had an opportunity to raise her hand.

"Well done," Tia said breathlessly into her opponent's ear.

"Thank you," Paige said back, pulling away and raising Tia's hand into the air.

The referee handed them both their championships and they held them high above their heads.

* * *

><p><em>-Off Air-<em>

Tessa had had enough time to shower and warm down before the first taping had even finished and when she was done she wandered through the building in search of someone to talk to.

After getting along so well with Charlotte, Alex Bliss and Bayley the night before, she was happy to see them all sitting together and she joined them. They were all giggling at something and she was interested to know what it was.

She looked at them expectantly when she was with them but they only laughed harder and held the phone to her. She reached out for it but before she'd even seen the image on it she knew that it looked familiar.

"Where did you get this?" She asked, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping. "This photo's – I don't _know_ how old this photo is! I'm almost positive I wasn't even out of college. Oh _god_."

"You look cute!" Alexa commented, taking back her phone. "You look so in love."

"We were," Tessa said quietly, more to herself than the girls. "How did you get that?"

"Your brother posted it on his twitter," Bayley told her and Tessa felt the colour run from her face.

"Does he do that regularly?" she asked, taking the phone back so she could look at it again.

It hadn't happened before and she was thankful but she didn't know what Jimmy was trying to get at. It wasn't a malicious act – he wasn't capable of being malicious, anyway – but it wasn't something that he should have been doing.

She looked back down at the photo and saw a photo of herself and Rami; she must have been about 20 meaning that Rami was 22. It didn't surprise her at all that she was holding up a peace sign – she explained to the girls that she was the queen of MySpace mirror selfies back in the day – or that Rami was trying his hardest to conceal his face.

Across the room she noticed that Rami had his phone out and was frowning a little at the screen. He lifted his head and their eyes met, he moved his phone up, silently letting her know that he was looking at the photo of them, and she immediately dropped her gaze and then the phone onto the table.

* * *

><p><strong>an: all the thanks in the world to _CarolReigns, nmoxracha, Imagineer1392, StraightEdgeQueen, UntilNeverDawns, ajroleplays, deanambooty _and _Livin on the EDGE_ for reviewing!**

**Christmas one shots guys!**


	16. This Ain't My Finest Hour

_This Ain't My Finest Hour_

-March 2, 2014; Cedar Rapids, Iowa-

They had been laying in bed for close to half an hour, their legs splayed out across each other, Tessa's head resting soundly on Colby's chest. He'd made up _some_ excuse as to Leighla about why he hadn't travelled the extra 2 hours to Des Moines to be with her. It made Tessa sick to her stomach that he had done it and she hadn't exactly been quiet about it but once he had kissed her and assured her that Leighla suspected nothing, her worries were pushed to the back of her mind.

Tessa's eyes widened in horror and she pulled away from Colby quickly. She looked to the door and held her breath; someone was knocking loudly and continuously.

"Fuck it," Colby mumbled to himself before calling out, "Hold on!"

"You're not-" Tessa cut herself when she saw him walk towards the door. She asked him in a rough whisper, grabbing onto his arm, "What are you doing?"

"Just... Go hide in the bathroom or something," he suggested. She slowly let go of his arm, shaking her head in disbelief. "Please, Tessy. I'll get rid of them quickly."

She wrapped her arms around her bare stomach and disappeared into the bathroom dejectedly. She shut the door behind her slowly and carefully, not wanting to make any noise.

Colby, once he was sure Tessa was in the bathroom, looked through the peephole and groaned when he saw Jon standing on the other side.

"What?" He asked when he opened the door. Jon said nothing, only pushed past him and walked straight towards the bathroom. "Hey!" Colby quickly moved to stand in between Jon and the bathroom.

"Man, I need to take a leak and it's kind of urgent," Jon grabbed Colby by the arm and forcefully moved him out of the way. Colby planted his feet on the ground. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"You don't want to go in there. Not nice," Colby rested a hand on his stomach. "Something I ate last night didn't agree with me."

"Then I'll hold my fucking breath," Jon shoved Colby out of the way and put his hand on the door handle.

He opened the door and laughed manically when he saw Tessa sitting on the edge of the bath, her eyes wide and her skin drained of colour. "Oh for fuck's sake. Get out."

"What?" She asked hopelessly, looking at her feet. Her arms were still wrapped around her waist, hiding the exposed skin.

"Look, I need to piss. So unless you want to watch-"

Tessa stood up and quickly walked out of the room, the door shutting loudly behind her. She walked right past Colby and began picking her clothes up off the floor.

"I tried to stop him," Colby sighed, putting his hands on her waist and making her stand upright, her shirt in her hands.

"I know," Tessa nodded, shrugging Colby off her. Pulling her shirt of her head, she quickly made to pick up her skirt when the bathroom door reopened.

"All I came here to do was use the bathroom and tell you that you were late to training. But _fuck_, the last thing I expected was to see June Jacobs hiding in your bathroom," Jon quipped, looking between the horrified Tessa and angry Colby. "See, if I were you... You send her into the bathroom with her clothes, let her put them on and then have her flush the toilet and she walks out casually, she'd just popped in to chat."

"You do this often?" Tessa asked with an out of character snark in her voice. She had pulled on her skirt and was making a conscious effort to not stand too close to Colby.

"With my friends' sisters. I've never had to hide an affair before."

Tessa put her heads in her hand and began to breathe heavily. Colby's hand rested gently on her upper back and she didn't even bother trying to shrug him off.

"You can't tell anyone," Colby said sternly. "You're gonna hurt too many people."

"_I'm_ going to hurt too many people? You're cheating on Leighla, that fault's on you two idiots," Jon said gruffly. "I'm not gonna say anything because I like Leighla. You two need to cut this out."

"Done," Tessa said quietly, moving her hands away and shrugging Colby's hand off her back. "We're done." She turned to Colby who was looking down at her in mild shock. "What? You _really_ want to continue this?"

"Well-"

"You're fucking kidding me," Jon groaned.

"You don't want to," Tess told him sadly yet seriously. "I've been in your position before, remember? It's not going to end well. I was stupid to even begin this."

Tessa picked up her handbag and walked towards the door.

"That's it?" Jon asked her when she was beside him.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked Jon exasperatedly. "Get down on my knees and beg you not to tell anyone when you've already said you wouldn't?"

"I just can't believe you'd do this again. I thought you were trying to kick the reputation."

Tessa shrugged somewhat carelessly. She slipped on her shoes and pulled the door open, leaving the two men to discuss the newly revealed secret. Entirely aware of the clothes she was wearing – the same thing she had left the arena in last night – the trip to her hotel room was made as quickly as possible.

As she fiddled with the key card, Tessa heard a door open down the hall and she panicked. She fumbled even more with the card, fearing that if she looked over her shoulder she would only draw attention to herself.

"Looking really shifty there, Jacobs."

Tessa squealed and the card dropped to the floor, but she knew who it was.

"What do you want, Jon?" Tessa asked, bending down to pick up the card. "I don't need a lecture on how badly I've screwed up, on how it's not just my life but his and Leighla's... I _know_ all of that and I won't try to justify it, I can't justify it."

"I just wanted to tell you that you're gonna need to find a new ride."

"Oh," she breathed. "I suppose so."

"Is there anyone you can ride with?"

"I'll find someone."

Jon nodded, "I'll see you in Illinois."

Tessa nodded slowly, moving to open her door as soon as he walked away. She was in desperate need of a shower and to find someone who could drive her to the night's house show, the former was given priority.

* * *

><p>Total Divas had totally slipped Tessa's mind, but the second Eva mentioned it Tessa had to close her eyes and remind herself to breath.<p>

"Of course you can ride with us," Eva had said happily. "The cameras aren't around today."  
>Today was the most important word in that sentence. There was no way Tessa would be able to travel with Eva when they were filming. Not because there was a problem with her being in the show but because she had a problem with it.<p>

Ideally Tessa would have called Brie but The Bella Twins were on a different set of house shows so she was going to get to Bloomington with Eva and Summer and she was extremely lucky that they hadn't already left yet.

"What happened to your boys?" Summer asked when Tessa met them outside the hotel.

"My boys?" Tessa asked with slight amusement.

"Yeah," Summer said, taking some of her friend's bags. "We call them your boys, now. You spend so much time with them."

Tessa rolled her eyes, "Of course you do."

The three women all climbed into the car – Eva driving, Summer riding shot gun and Tessa sitting behind her – as quickly as they could to get out of the far below freezing temperature. They would be entering _slightly _warmer weather in Bloomington but they had managed to escape snow in Cedar Rapids.

"Why aren't you with them, though? Everything okay?" Eva eventually asked, startling Tessa.

"Yeah, everything's fine." The lie was easy, all lies were for Tessa. "They just had to leave before I was ready. But if you guys are fun enough, I might have to change travel buddies."

If it was the only way to get around then she would have to deal with the cameras that might start hanging around.

"Did you see the photo your brother posted the other day?" Summer asked, leaning around in her seat to show Tessa the photo.

Tessa was ready to say that they'd shown it to her at NXT when she noticed that it was a different photo.

"_He didn't_."

She snatched at the phone, apologising immediately after, and glared at the photo.

_Halloween 2005. 19 years old. Dressed up as Mary Poppins_.

"I'm actually going to kill him," Tessa seethed causing Eva and Summer to share a look – Tessa rarely showed her anger.

"Why?" Summer asked, reaching for her phone before Tessa could throw it out the car window. "You look great."

"I still have baby fat," Tessa whined, sitting back in her seat and folding her arms over her chest.

Summer laughed but assured her that it was nothing to be embarrassed by. Tessa wasn't buying it.

* * *

><p>-Bloomington, Illinois-<p>

After sitting alone in a secluded corner of the arena for almost the entirety of the house show, Tessa had come to the conclusion that she was going to see Colby. Whether it was just to talk about how they'd been caught or if she wanted something more was undecided she just knew that she was going to go see him.

_T: Are you rooming by yourself?_

_C: Not 2nite_

Well, there were ways around that.

_T: Can we talk? I'm in room 340_.

He didn't respond to the text and Tessa just stared down at her screen. When there was a knock at her door, she smiled.

She let Colby in with a smile and light peck on the lips. Colby didn't appear to be confused by the action; he smiled at her and followed her into the room.

"This isn't what I wanted to talk to you about but while we're here... Can you tell Jimmy to stop with the pictures?"

"Why would I do that?" he asked innocently, sitting down beside her on the bed. "Those are some great photos. I've never seen the one with Shelley before."

Tessa huffed as the picture flashed up in her mind. She was maybe 17, sitting on a couch beside Alex Shelley blushing profusely and avoiding looking at the camera. It was no secret amongst the wider independent community that during the last two years of high school Tessa had an unwavering crush on Alex Shelley. 'The Alex Shelley Story' was always a crowd pleaser.

"I'll talk to him," Colby said, realising that she was less than impressed. "It is Jimmy, though, so you know I can't make any promises."

She smiled at him and leant forward to hug him as a thank you. It was seemingly innocent, or it would have been had she not kissed him when he walked in, but as her body touched his she felt herself melting into his touch. It was a natural movement to just relax and hold on.

"We're gonna do this again, aren't we?" She pulled her head back and looked at Colby's face, watching him smile softly at her.

"We don't have to do anything," he said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I want to."

* * *

><p><strong>an One thing's for sure... Tessa seems to love trouble.**

**Many thanks to _deanambooty, nmoxracha, CarolReigns, MJ, UntilNeverDawns, ajroleplays, Livin on the Edge, Straight Edge Queen_.**

**Are there any songs that remind you of Tessa and the situations she gets herself into?**


	17. Even The Beautiful Lose Control

_Even The Beautiful Lose Control_

-March 3, 2014; Chicago, Illinois-

Raw being in Chicago had caused a lot of stress amongst WWE employees. Punk's unwillingness to return, even in his home town, left Vince McMahon to make an important decision. They were going to play the crowd. The internet had been abuzz with the #hijackRAW plan but Vince always liked a good fight. They had all been briefed about what to do about 'CM Punk' chants – continue as though nothing was happening – but this week they were allowed to respond if they wished.

"I wish we got to do promos," Nikki commented from the other side of the locker room. "There's a few things I'd like to say about CM Punk."

Tessa, who was pulling up her knee pads, laughed, "I have eight and a half years of pent up frustrations with CM Punk, you're going to have to get in line."

"Air your grievances, Tessa. You're in a safe place," Nikki joked and pretended to hold a microphone in front of her friend's mouth. Tessa sat up straight and cleared her throat.

"CM Punk put me through hell under the guise of wrestling training. He repeatedly told me that it was because I needed to wrestle and not model. I've since come to realise that it had nothing to do with me and everything to with him not being seen as incompetent. It might also have to do with the fact that I refused him sex – I did have morals once upon a time. CM Punk is bitter. He is a bitter old man."

"CM Punk is the reason you're considered one of the best female wrestlers in the world," AJ snarled as she stormed into the locker room. Tessa scoffed, fed up with AJ's constant praise for her boyfriend.

"Japan is the reason I'm considered one of the best female wrestlers in the world."

"Without him you wouldn't have made it to Japan," AJ retorted furiously.

"Get your head out of his ass, AJ," Nikki cut in. "If you paid any attention to some of the shit that he pulled without those rose tinted glasses you like to wear you'd realise that he's an asshole."

AJ, with all her might, launched forward to attack Nikki. As soon as contact was made Nikki fought back but the fight could barely get started before Brie was holding her sister by the waist and Nattie and Tamina were pulling AJ back. The two continued to sling insults at each other until Tessa's phone began ringing. The sound was abrupt and unexpected, causing a certain amount of surprise that halted the screaming.

"Um," Tessa said as she looked down at her phone to see a number she didn't recognise appear on the screen. "I suppose I'll go take this elsewhere?" She hastily walked out of the room and answered the call once she was around the corner. "Hello?"

"Tessa?" She recognised the voice immediately. It was forever engrained in her memory.

"_Rami_?" She asked back to clarify because no matter how sure she was, he was the last person she ever expected to call her.

"Yeah..." He trailed off slowly. Tessa managed to find a seat that she ended up collapsing onto. "I just wanted to tell you something."

"Okay?"

"I'm getting called up," he revealed. Tessa smiled to herself, unable to stop the pride that soared through her.

"That's great," she told him earnestly. "I'm happy for you."

"I just wanted to let you know because you let me know."

"Thank you," she managed to say. It was great to hear his voice again; it was one she could never get sick of. It made her far too happy even after so long.

"How are you?" The question caught her off guard. He sounded like he cared.

"I'm – I'm fine."

"Good. That's good," he said somewhat awkwardly. "I suppose I should let you go. You probably have a match to prepare for."

She nodded, though he couldn't see it, "Yeah, I do. Thanks for telling me."

The call was ended after a quick, awkward goodbye. Tessa felt her heart racing after the phone call. He had called her voluntarily. He thought of her when he was told he was going to make his debut.

With a smile on her face Tessa walked back into the locker room to grab the Divas Championship. No one was in there and Tessa figured that they probably went their separate ways so they wouldn't cause a serious fight.

Her walk to Gorilla was stopped halfway when someone told her that Sean Cleary wanted to see her in his office. The request puzzled her given that she was a week away from starting a new angle with Nikki Bella who would be named number one contender, but she did as she was told and went to see the Head of Talent Relations.

Sean Cleary was waiting for her with the office door wide open. He motioned for Tessa to step inside and shut the door behind them.

"Am I in trouble?" Tessa asked instinctively when she realised that there was no other reason for her to be there.

"No," he shook his head, "of course not. I just wanted to let you know that we have a new storyline in your future."

"Are we scrapping Nikki?"

"No, that will play out and you'll still face her at Wrestlemania for the title but in about a month's time we're going to give you a love interest."

Tessa was shocked, "Oh?" Love interests in WWE generally meant a bigger storyline for Divas, giving them a chance to show what they can do beyond 5 minutes of match.

"We're bringing Sami Zayn up from NXT and we'd like to pair him up with Tia." He clearly had no idea what he was telling her because he was surprised when her face fell.

"You want me to work with Rami?" She asked him slowly, all breathe leaving her body.

"It was decided that Tia would be best suited to Sami Zayn. So yes, we want you to work with Rami. Is that going to be a problem?"

Tessa shook her head and drew in a deep breath. She tried her hardest to keep a straight face as she assured him that it would be no problem at all but the crack in her voice surely gave her away. She excused herself quickly; suddenly aware of just how little time she had before her match, and walked straight to Gorilla.

When she arrived at Gorilla she was visibly stressed, with her mouth hanging, her cheeks pale and her breathing heavy. She stood beside AJ but said nothing, focusing on the monitor showing the live ring.

"Are you okay?" AJ asked sounding genuinely concerned for her opponent. Tessa didn't look well enough to be competing in AJ's eyes.

"Fine, totally fine." Tessa nodded and exhaled. "New finish for the match: running big boot to the corner."

"Why?" AJ looked at Tessa quickly.

"Because I feel like it," Tessa deadpanned, shaking her head and jumping up and down on the spot to get herself ready.

"Are we allowed to do that?"

"I don't care."

AJ's music began to play and she walked to the curtain, checking over her shoulder to make sure that Tessa was going to be okay during their match. The last thing AJ wanted was for her opponent to be distracted.

* * *

><p><em>-Live on Raw-<em>

**_She barely knew your name._**

With a smile on her face and spring in her step, Tia tried her hardest to do her normal entrance, but the peace sign was as half-hearted as the smile on her face and she didn't blow kisses to the fans.

"Tia's a little different tonight, isn't she?" JBL asked.

"Nervous, maybe? AJ Lee has always been one of her toughest adversaries," Cole judged.

Tia ran up the stairs and into the ring as always but instead of ducking underneath the middle rope, she surprised everyone and launched herself over the top. Managing to land on her feet, Tia did her usual cute curtsey for the people clapping her.

"She doesn't seem too nervous," King laughed.

AJ was waiting for her, the referee took her belt and handed it to the time keeper and signalled for the bell to be rung. Tia, for the first time in her entire career, didn't bother trying to shake her opponent's hand.

No time was wasted; the Divas locked up in the middle of the ring and fought for the advantage. AJ won it and was able to push Tia towards the ropes, hitting her with an elbow when the champion was rebounded into the middle of the ring.

When AJ was parading around, Tia got back to her feet and hit the drop kick as soon as her opponent turned around. Tia didn't make a show of it and immediately pulled AJ back to her feet only for AJ to counter it into a schoolgirl pin.

Tia kicked out at one and stood up with a shake of her head. She pushed the hair from her face and quickly hit the running AJ Lee with an exploder suplex.

AJ was quick to roll out of the ring, straight to Tamina. Tia, with a disgruntled sighed, looked at them over the rope before she rolled out of the ring, standing in front of the commentator's table.

She looked at her opponent and took a deep breath before running towards the corner of the ring, sliding underneath the bottom turnbuckle and catching AJ with a tornado DDT. The men in the front row started an 'Olé!' chant as she stood up and curtsied with a huge smile on her face.

* * *

><p>A few minutes passed and AJ flew into the turnbuckle and just as she recovered from the shock Tia ran at her. AJ had no time to move, only to blink as Tia's boot met her chin.<p>

"A huge boot by the number one contender!"

"I think Tia might have gotten over those jitters."

Tia untangled herself as AJ slumped to the floor; Tia was able to pull the champion into the centre of the ring, barely struggling with AJ's deadweight.

Tia hooked AJ's leg and counted along with the referee and the crowd, "1, 2, 3."

"I don't think we had anything to be worried about. Maybe Tia should be nervous every week, it worked in her favour," JBL commented as Tia began her celebration in the ring.

The celebration was cut short when AJ began to stir causing Tia to leave the ring in a hurry. AJ was visibly irate but it only encouraged Tia and her celebration.

* * *

><p><em>-Off Air-<em>

"Tessa, Stephanie wants to speak to you." Dean Malenko appeared by her side as soon as she pushed through the curtain. The smile dropped from her face and she sighed.

"Yeah, I figured." The quiver in her voice surprised even her. Dean gently touched her arm when she turned away from him.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure," Tessa answered honestly before turning around again walking off in search of Stephanie McMahon's office.

It was a walk of shame; people knew where she was headed. The match, to the untrained eye, had run as smooth as ever, it was near perfect. To a veteran of the business, however, Tessa's instructions to AJ were all too clear. Tessa wasn't stupid enough to think she'd get away with it.

She knocked hesitantly on Stephanie's office door, awaiting a response from her boss. She was called inside to see Stephanie sitting behind her temporary desk.

"Miss Scobille, have a seat," Stephanie gestured to the couch and Tessa did as she was told, sitting down gently. "Do you know why you're here?"

"I changed the match," Tessa nodded in understanding.

"Why?"

"Because I was angry, upset... It was stupid but I did it." Tessa tugged at her suspenders, her new nervous habit. Stephanie gestured for her to elaborate. "Rami called me and told me he was actually getting called up but that was fine. I figured that would happen eventually. It's just... _Ten minutes_ before I had to be at Gorilla, I get called into Talent Relations and they're telling me that when Sami Zayn debuts he's going to need a love interest."

"And that's you, correct?"

"It's me," Tessa nodded as her lip began to quiver again. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. "I don't know if I can do that. I _will_ because it's my job but if I didn't take out that anger now I'd take it out on him and he doesn't deserve that. I've hurt him too much already."

"Okay," Stephanie sighed, taking Tessa's hands and holding them tightly, warmly. "You're getting out of this with a slap on the wrist. I trust your judgement in the ring enough for you to be able to call a match as it's happening... I am very happy you did it with AJ but inn future, don't change the match or break character like you did."

"Of course not. Never again." Tessa nodded quickly. She was still crying at the thought of working with Rami but that would be dealt with later.

"I'm going to speak with Talent Relations because telling someone of a new storyline just before they go out is unprofessional."

Tessa sniffled, "Thank you. I really am sorry."

"Don't let it happen again," Stephanie patted Tessa's hands and helped her to her feet. "It was a good match."

"I won't," Tessa said, a smile pulling at her lips. "And thank you."

Tessa exited the office and sighed in relief. She was grateful that Stephanie saw the stupidity in a meeting directly before a match.

As she walked down one of the many halls, she was unexpectedly grabbed by the wrist and pulled around the corner. Startled, she violently ripped her hand away and whacked the culprit over the chest, only to have her wrists captured again.

"Look, I don't know what you've managed to do but he's in the locker room having a fit."

"Hi Jon," Tessa snarled at Jon who still had a hold of her wrists.

"You need to go calm him down." There was no denying who Jon was talking about.

"Why?" Tessa asked, trying to pull her hands back. Jon wasn't letting go.

"Because it's your fault," Jon rolled his eyes. "Your match started and he lost it."

"Great," Tessa groaned. "Yet another person I've pissed off."

"You know what you did?"

"Most of those moves were taken directly out of El Generico's playbook," Tessa revealed. Jon let go of her wrists and breathed out a twisted laugh. "They're calling him up. They want me to be his girlfriend. I was angry and did the only thing I could think of."

"Become your ex-boyfriend?" Jon leant against the stone wall, shaking his head. Sarcastically he added, "Makes sense."

"I was angry and that's what happened. If I had stuck to the plan, I would have looked a lot more like Tyler Black."

"Their styles aren't _that_ different," Jon said, almost in disbelief. "You're fucking with me."

"If I was, Colby wouldn't be as angry as you say he is. Right?" Tessa shook her head and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm in no state to talk to him about this right now. Can you tell him?"

"Tell him that he has to compete with Generico for you _again_?" Jon laughed manically. "No thanks. I'd rather live to see my match."

Tessa raked a hand through her hair before she started to unwrap the tape from her left wrist. She looked up at Jon with pleading eyes but he shook his head. She felt her cheeks going red, the dried tears still on them.

"Just try calm him down," Tessa begged, sniffling as she felt more tears starting. "I'll talk to him after the show."

"Good," Jon smiled at her, ruffling up her hair. "Good match, by the way."

"Yeah, thank you," she said before her head flew up and she hit him across the chest again, this time as he was walking away. "He doesn't have to _compete for me_."

"I'm sure that's what Generico thought back in '08."

Tessa watched as Jon turned the corner, going back to his own locker room. She felt more tears fall down her cheeks, clouding her vision. As she walked back to the Divas' locker room she looked down to avoid the stares of everyone as she did so.

"How much trouble did you get into?" Nikki asked as soon as Tessa pushed the door open.

"None," Tessa responded emotionlessly. Her tears had dried up and she just felt empty. "I think I used my fuck up."

"It wasn't really a _fuck up_," Nikki reasoned, stopping Tessa from walking away. "You changed the match but it still went well, so it's not all that bad. Mind telling me why?"

"Can I tell you later? I don't want to break down again."

Nikki let Tessa go, the latter making her way to the showers quickly before anyone else could ask her more questions.

The moment the hot water ran down her back she felt herself relax. The running water helped clear her head and she managed to convince herself that being in a storyline with Rami wasn't going to be terrible. Difficult, yes, but terrible was pushing it too far.

* * *

><p>Nikki had convinced Brie that they should go back to the hotel with Tessa. Any other night she would have enjoyed the company but it was the last thing she needed after the night she'd had.<p>

"So, what happened?"

Tessa retold the story about being told about Rami calling her and how she had been told about her future storyline just minutes before her match. Neither twin was surprised to hear that Steph had been lenient with Tessa given the history between Tessa and Rami alongside the unprofessional nature that Talent Relations had used when informing her.

"That's terrible," Brie pouted. "And you can't get out of it?"

"I don't think I really want to..." Tessa admitted. "Not because I'll be spending time with Rami but because this is too good an opportunity. I know that Sami Zayn will become a household name in no time. He's going to sky rocket and, it might be selfish of me, but I wouldn't mind going along for the ride."

"No, I understand. It's good exposure and that's exactly what all of us are looking for," Nikki smiled at Tessa. "That's why we said yes to Total Divas."

"_You_ should say yes to Total Divas," Brie concluded, leaning in between the two front seats.

"You're kidding me, right? They fabricate most of your drama, right? Mine would be Class A explosive material, it would be all real and that's not fair on anyone."

"But it'd be _fun_," Nikki laughed before flipping off someone who honked at them. Tessa was getting distracted and not driving very well.

"_Fun_? It'd be terrible, Colby and Rami would be dragged into it and last time the three of us were in a dramatic situation they both ended up with a broken nose."

"Are you serious?" Brie asked, suddenly worried. "Okay, so maybe we don't need that on the show. 'Roid rage rumours would go through the roof."

"You must be a good fuck if everything ended like that," Nikki remarked resulting in Brie thumping her over the head. "What?"

"Don't be rude," Brie reprimanded her sister. "Tessa, it'll all be fine, okay? You've all grown up a lot since then."

"I was 22 years old," Tessa sighed. She thought to her current situation, she hadn't really grown up given that she was sleeping with Colby despite the fact he was in a relationship. She was starting the whole thing again.

"You were a kid," Brie continued for her. "You were pressured into sleeping with Gabe, right?"

"I suppose, I don't know. It all just happened so quickly. I don't try and justify it because it was terrible no matter what way you look at it."

The car was consumed with silence and Brie leant back in her seat, watching the cars pass by. Tessa did her best to concentrate on the road but she felt her mind drift occasionally. It mainly went to the conversation she had to have with Colby. She had to explain to him why she had resorted to El Generico's move set and she knew he wasn't going to be happy about it. They'd finally began to work out everything, their relationship was beginning to change once more, and she knew that what she had to say was going to reverse all of that progress.

She desperately wanted to tell someone about their renewed affair. Darcy knew about it, sure, but she was the last person Tessa wanted to talk to about it. Darcy was friends with Rami and she didn't want to run the risk of him finding out, especially if they had to work with each other. Ideally she would tell Brie but from past experience she knew that anything Brie was told Nikki came to know and Nikki was notoriously bad at keeping secrets.

And of course there was Jon who liked to bring it up any chance he got. He wasn't mean about it but he was always quick to remind her how badly everything had ended in 2008.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," Brie said as soon as Nikki got out of the car. "I know it was a pretty bad experience for you but you need to know that nobody cares anymore."

"I mean, Bryan's getting better..." Tessa began. "Punk still calls me a whore whenever he sees me. Claudio gives me a death stare whenever I'm in the same room as him. Colby still brings it up on occasion and Rami definitely hasn't gotten over it. The people who don't care are the people who didn't experience it firsthand."

Tessa didn't go straight to her own room; she carried her bag straight to Colby's knowing that she sooner she got the conversation out of the way the sooner both of them could rest easy. She was thankful that he had sent her a text with his room number earlier that afternoon.

Her knock was light and cautious because the idea of telling Colby that Rami was coming up... It wasn't something she wanted to do.

The door opened and Tessa couldn't help but smile. She looked up instinctively, expecting to see Colby's kind eyes and scruffy beard but she only saw empty space.

"What do _you_ want?" Darcy Quinn was glaring at Tessa, moving further into the hallway so she could prevent Tessa from seeing into the room.

"I need to speak to Colby," Tessa responded, motioning to the room. "Can I do that?"

Darcy snarled, "No. You can't." Tessa was surprised by the blonde's aggression. The last time they had seen each other Tessa had held a sobbing Darcy as the latter worried she was being cheated on. "Leighla's my friend. You're fucking crazy if you think I'm about to let you speak to him. You're a good for nothing whore." Tessa flinched back at the name she had been called.

"You spoke to Jon, then?" Darcy didn't respond to the question but she did cross her arms defiantly. "Do you want him to stop throwing a fit? The only way that's going to happen is if I speak to him and explain that match."

"You're a pathetic excuse for a human."

Tessa sighed, "I know. Can I please speak to him?"

Darcy huffed as she pushed the door open with her foot and walked into the room announcing that Tessa was at the door. The brunette stepped into the room and was horrified by its state. Colby had clearly not calmed down.

"Come on, Darc," Jon said with a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "They need to do this alone."

Darcy protested, "We can't leave them together!" Jon rolled his eyes and directed her out into the hallway, leaving Tessa and Colby together.

He was standing near the window, anger written all over his face. Tessa stepped towards him, wanting to touch him and comfort him, but he flinched away violently.

"That wasn't... Why are you so angry?" she chose to ask that question. It was a valid question, he had no reason to become so irate because of a few wrestling moves.

"_Him_, Tessa. It doesn't exactly bring back fantastic memories, especially when you're out there flying around like him," Colby explained, his voice hoarse. It looked like Jon wasn't kidding when he said Colby had thrown a fit in the locker room.

Tessa chose to rip it off like a bandaid, "He's coming to the main roster."

"What?" Colby asked, his head snapping towards her.

"And they want me to work with him. I wasn't happy and that was my way of saying FU." Colby sat down on the bed and sighed in exasperation. "You know what that means, Colb."

"You're going to end this because of him, aren't you?" He asked in a sad voice. Tessa sat down beside him, sitting so that she was facing him. One hand came to rest on his knee, the other on his shoulder.

"He'll know what we're doing," Tessa sighed as she leant forward to rest her head over her hand on his shoulder. "That can't get out, you know that. Jon told Darcy, that's already too many people."

"Fuck," Colby groaned, furiously wiping a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry, Colby." Tessa leant forward just a bit more and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>an thanks to everybody who took the time to review: _UntilNeverDawns, CarolReigns, Guest, Imagineer1392, nmoxracha, deanambooty, ajroleplays, Straight Edge Queen, Livin on the EDGE_ and _OhYeahCabana_! :D**


	18. Holding On By A Thin Thread

_Holding On By A Thin Thread_

-March 4, 2013; Chicago, Illinois-

Tessa was up at 5 the next morning, ready to go for a run around Chicago before she got on a plane to Detroit.

As she ran down the stairs and into the lobby she passed most of her co-workers who were heading out to the airport. As soon as she had returned to her room the night before she had changed her flight from 7 to midday. She didn't want to spend any more time around Colby than she had to for fear of her resolve crumbling.

Nikki called a goodbye to her friend as she jogged by and Tessa responded with a small wave.

She had no real path for her run; she would run where the city wanted her to. The weather was downright dreadful it was barely above 14 degrees outside and there was roughly 2 inches of snow covering the ground but Tessa wasn't bothered at all. She'd rugged up and was ready to get in her daily run regardless of temperature. She was used to it, growing up in Michigan.

"Looking good, sweetheart!"

"Why don't you take off that jacket and show us what you've got?"

Tessa, who never ran with music, groaned as two men began to follow her.

"You've got the nicest ass I've ever seen!"

She picked up her pace, hoping that she'd be able to outrun them.

"Don't play hard to get!"

Tessa gritted her teeth. She was unable to shake them despite running at nearly full pace. She made the abrupt decision to turn the corner but there was no way the men had not seen her.

A few yards in front of her, Tessa spotted the unmistakable Cubs' cap of the man who was perhaps her least favourite person. In that moment she had never been happier to see him.

"Punk!" She shouted as he started to walk in the opposite direction, coffee in hand. He turned around begrudgingly, thinking she was a fan. Behind her, the men had not relented. They were still following and calling out to her.

"What do you two assholes want?" Punk asked, stepping in front of Tessa as she ran towards him. He was shielding her and letting her catch her breath.

"To speak to hot piece of ass behind you."

"Don't ruin our fun, man," the other man said, trying to step around Punk. He stood his ground, stepping sideways and getting in the man's face.

"Does she look interested?" the tattooed man snarled. The two men shrugged. "Fuck off. Now."

With angry mumbles and wild insults, they turned around in a huff and left. Punk continued to eye them off until they were no longer in sight.

"Thank you. They weren't going to give up," Tessa said shifting awkwardly. "I suppose I'll see you around."

"You know as well as I do that that's unlikely," he said with a small chuckle.

"You're a real piece of work, you know," Tessa snapped at him. "The company isn't just about what you want. You stopped showing up and the writers had to come up with new material, new storylines." Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was glaring up at Punk, watching as his mouth twitched into a smirk. It only made her angrier.

"They've managed just fine," he retorted. "It has nothing to do with you, June."

"It does when AJ runs her mouth every week," Tessa explained to him haughtily.

Punk grunted, "She's reacting to what you say."

"I won't lie, there have been times when I've spoken first but most of the time it's her doing. She's arrogant and out of line. _You_ were out line."

"I want a reaction from you," he told her, knowing that she was no longer just talking about his disappearance from the company. She had started to reference how he had treated her specifically. "I only ever wanted a reaction. Quiet, meek Tessa was a pushover. This is what I wanted."

"I am not a pushover."

"You're a pushover," he repeated firmly.

"You're an asshole," Tessa mumbled as she turned away from him, starting at a jog.

"Good to see you again, June," he called out to her as she disappeared.

Tessa picked up her pace, running away from Punk. She couldn't lie, she was beyond grateful that he had been able to send those men on their way. To her, Punk had always been adamant that he was the only one allowed to get under her skin.

* * *

><p>-Detroit, Michigan-<p>

Tessa walked into the arena, wheeling her suitcase behind her. As one of the last people to arrive, everything was almost set up and she had to manoeuvre past crates and around wires on her way to the Divas' locker room. She had a Main Event match teaming with The Funkadactyls against Foxsana and Tamina that she had to prepare for, so she hurried around the hustle and bustle.

"We were supposed to be here a half hour ago," AJ remarked as soon as Tessa pushed open the door. "That's really unprofessional of you."

Tessa shook her head, "I called ahead. I am nothing if not professional." That was maybe a stretch of the truth but Tessa was not afraid of a little white lie. No one need know that she was late because she did not want to see Colby before she absolutely had to.

AJ rolled her eyes and scowled at the Divas' Champion. The tensions between the two were at an all time high, AJ was still reeling that she had lost the title to a newcomer and Tessa was just trying to avoid the conflict. The last thing she needed was a fight between the two of them – it would only add to her stress.

It didn't take long to change into her ring gear and she was on her way, championship in hand, towards hair and makeup before AJ could say anything more. She was stopped in her path when The Shield walked out of their locker room. Neither Jon nor Joe saw her, but Colby looked over his shoulder, probably sensing that he was being watched. Tessa dropped her head immediately and became very interested in the butterfly across her belt.

Jon was impossible to miss – tall, intimidating and absolutely nonsensical in every which way. Tessa knew that The Shield was finished for the evening and she had a few things she wanted to talk about with their lunatic fringe.

"You have a couple of minutes?"

"For Black Widow? Always," he smiled at her, standing up and offering her his seat. She rolled her eyes at the reference to the latest photo Jimmy had put onto his twitter page; Halloween 2007. "This about Bloomington?"

"Maybe? I don't know... I just- I'm not a bad person. I just make really terrible decisions sometimes."

"Yeah, you do," Jon agreed without hesitation. He looked down at her, his head cocked to the side. "For such a sweet girl you make some really fucking bad decisions."

"Do you reckon we would have slept together?" she asked him, taking no time to think.

"Huh?" He furrowed his brow.

"You said that you slept with your friends' sisters," Tessa told him, and he nodded slowly. "Would that have included me?"

"That depends. Are you single when I'm doing the thing with Jimmy?"

"Probably. I still screwed up phenomenally; I suppose the only difference would have been that I stayed in the States and somehow managed to get work."

"They got over it pretty quickly, from what I know anyway," Jon said, tapping his foot lightly. "I suppose I only spoke to Jimmy and then Colby when we got to FCW, but Jimmy wasn't holding any grudges, you know? He kinda just wished that you'd been there to amp up the IPW angle." Tessa tilted her head to stare at Jon, watching him carefully. "It would have been cool, I think. Especially if you were Little Miss Perfect. Use that against him and his perfect family."

"I probably would have cleaned up June Jacobs but you would have been the one to take her back to that place of darkness," Tessa suggested with a light laugh.

"Would have been fun. To answer your question, yes we probably would have fucked at least once." Noticing the grimace that went across Tessa's face again, Jon changed his wording, "We would have slept together at least once. You work with wrestlers; the swearing sort of comes with the territory."

"I know," she shrugged and picked at a loose piece of string. "I know I shouldn't tell people what to say... I just... Swearing makes me uncomfortable. Um, Gabe – you know him, right? – he liked to swear a lot and..."

"Okay," Jon cut her off. Evidently Colby had repeated what Tessa told him. "I get it. I'll tone it down."

"Colby got over it pretty quickly?" Tessa asked, her head hanging low and her voice only slightly above a whisper.

"When he got to FCW he was with Leighla and I got word that he had a thing with Dawn-"

"_Dawn_?" Tessa's head shot up to look at Jon, disbelief written across her soft features. "The little Japanese ring rat?"

"You know her, then?"

"The three of them – Dawn, Emily and the one who hung around Jimmy a lot; I can never remember her name-"

"Cara."

"Cara, right." Tessa took a deep breath. "_Dawn_ of all people."

Jon grunted, "She sinks her teeth and claws in. Doesn't let you go."

"You two, huh?" Tessa asked with a light laugh, watching as Jon pulled a displeased face.

"Everyone at one point or another. She was the-"

"Girlfriend-able one? Yeah, I heard it all. She was young and everyone thought they could get the rat out of her," Tessa explained, though Jon probably already knew. "I guess Colby was no different."

"He didn't talk about you much but if you were brought up in conversation he never said anything bad about you. Always good things. Look, I'm not here to judge anyone for what they've done. I just wanna make sure that my friends are happy and getting caught with you isn't going to make Colby happy."

"I know," Tessa conceded, reaching into her phone to check the time. She laughed under her breath. "I can't believe I answered my phone last night. I never answer to random numbers. We're in Michigan right now... I _really_ should not have answered my phone."

"Call it fate, Jacobs. Call it fate."

* * *

><p><strong>an: Thanks to _Imagineer1392, deanambooty, UntilNeverDawns, CarolReigns, nmoxracha, MJ, naive melody, ajroleplays_ and _Straight Edge Queen_ who are all super lovely for taking the time to review! It doesn't take that long, guys!**

**I uploaded the first chapter of Darcy's sequel, _In The Thick Of It_, so, if you haven't already, go check it out!**


	19. So Down Caught in the Middle

_So Down Caught in the Middle_

_- Main Event, March 5-_

_Tamina and Foxsana (Alicia Fox and Aksana) defeated Tia and The Funkadactyls (Naomi and Cameron) on the Main Event portion of the Smackdown tapings. The match ended rather abruptly when Cameron was hit with a superkick from Tamina. The Divas Champion definitely looked out of place beside the dancing duo but she stood out in the match even if she was only in it for maybe a minute. The match, overall, was what has come to be expected from the Divas division and most people in attendance used it as their bathroom break._

* * *

><p>-March 10, 2014; Memphis, Tennessee-<p>

The past week hadn't left her mind. Rami being called up was the last thing she wanted to happen, purely for her own sanity. It was bad enough that she'd fallen back into a 'relationship' with Colby but to have Rami around made her nervous. There was always the worry that he would figure out what Tessa and Colby had been up to or that he would ask her all the questions she had spent years avoiding. They would be working together as soon as he got called up, just talking for the weeks before WrestleMania. She'd been told that a relationship with Sami Zayn meant a feud with Summer Rae and Fandango, so she would have to save Sami from Summer Rae's interference during a match.

Colby was a different story all together. He wasn't ignoring her like she hoped he would. Breaking off whatever they had going was her way of telling him that they didn't need to spend any time together, that she was keeping the promise she'd made at the training centre. Even cutting off Jon and Joe hadn't helped her. At every live event he'd tried to talk to her, ask her about her day. It was driving her mad.

The Divas were, once again, sitting in catering, a table for the Total Divas minus Nattie and plus Tessa with the other Divas sitting separately. There was clearly a separation within the locker room that probably began as a means of staying out of the cameras' eyes but it had progressed into something much more.

When everyone had finished eating most of the women had disappeared in search of any means of entertainment but Nikki and Tessa remained behind.

"How did you find commentary?"

Tessa groaned, "I hate it."

"You're good at talking, though," Nikki complimented her friend who smiled in thanks. Tessa absentmindedly played with her necklace – a Tiffany's key Rami brought her for her 21st birthday.

"Not so much at interviews and commentary is essentially that," Tessa explained and then cleared her throat. "If I can just talk I'm fine but being prompted like that confuses me."

They rose from their seats, expecting to go in search of a television set but Tessa stopped not far from their table.

"You okay over there?" Nikki asked, furrowing her brow at Tessa's odd behaviour.

"Yeah," Tessa nodded, scratching the back of her neck again. "I just got really itchy all of a sudden."

"Weird."

Tessa had leaned down to scratch at her leg when she realised what was happening. The itch was only getting worse and when she reached up to scratch her neck again, she felt lumps on her skin. She'd attributed her hoarse voice to the screaming she had done at ringside after abandoning commentary.

She was wrong.

"Nikki," Tessa's panicked voiced was barely audible, but at the sudden sound of heavy breathing, Nikki turned around and watched as Tessa slowly sat down onto a nearby seat.

"Tessa?" Nikki was by her friend's side instantly, looking over her body frantically. "What's happening?"

There was no way Tessa could have answered. Her breathing was heavy and high-pitched and her skin was slowly gaining a blue tinge. The scared look she was giving Nikki only caused the latter to stress out even more, thus causing Tessa do to the same.

She'd only experienced the sensation twice in her life, both happening in her early 20s.

Tessa began to feel lightheaded.

"You need to call 911." The order came loudly and surely just before Tessa lost consciousness, falling from the seat onto the ground lifelessly.

* * *

><p>Opening her eyes slowly, squinting due to the bright light, Tessa felt like she'd been dragged across the bottom of the ocean.<p>

"Miss Scobille, we're on the way to the hospital, no need to worry."

She let her eyes close and revelled in the fact that she could breathe again. The lack of sirens indicated that there was no desperate need to get her to a hospital, so Tessa was able to relax to a certain extent – but being strapped to a gurney was preventing total relaxation.

"She's awake now." Tessa was startled by the voice – the same that had ordered the emergency call. "Is there anything else you needed to know?"

"No, I think that's everything."

"That's everything," he paused briefly. "I'll call you later with an update."

Tessa was unable to work out who had been on the other end of the phone and she was too exhausted to think up any possibilities.

"Claudio?" she asked quietly, wishing that she was able to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the reason you're alive right now," he told her honestly, his Swiss accent filling the ambulance. "Good thing I know how to work an EpiPen."

She took a deep breath and in a hushed voiced said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Nothing else was said between them, the only conversations that took place were between Tessa and the paramedic when he was asking for her details.

Claudio Castagnoli had been present the other two times she suffered anaphylaxis and she there was no way for her to explain how grateful she was that he had been around.

The first hospital visit happened when she was not quite 21 years old. Until that point she had never had an allergic reaction to anything so to have her face swell up and her ability to breathe taken from her was utterly terrifying – not only for her but for everyone who had witnessed it. Tessa and Rami had been on a double date with Claudio and his then-girlfriend. The doctors kept her in the hospital for 16 hours before they released her with an EpiPen and told her that she was allergic to fish.

The second time she had anaphylaxis was less than a year later. Tessa had been diligent in making sure she did not consume any fish but one night she relaxed a little too much and accidentally ate something that resulted in another severe reaction. Rami had learnt how to administer an EpiPen for moments such as those and he was able to use it quickly enough that she did not lose consciousness – she had only stayed in the hospital for four hours that night.

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis' emergency room was where Tessa ended up, Claudio right beside her. The questions continued, most of them the same as from the ambulance, and answers supplied. Tessa took comfort in the English being spoken around her because the last time she had been in a hospital the Japanese language had almost driven her crazy.

"You don't have to stay, C." Tessa looked at Claudio, watching as he put his phone down to speak to her.

"I'm in charge of updates," he responded as though it was obvious. "Someone should stay with you; you need to get back to your hotel."

His phone began to ring before Tessa could give him an alternative – someone who could take over for him.

"Rami," Claudio answered, standing up. Tessa sat up instantly, leaning forward in a pathetic attempt to take his phone.

"What are you doing?!" She all but shouted at him, moving to kneel on the bed and scoot closer to him. "_Rami?_"

Claudio paid her absolutely no attention; her outbursts weren't even registering as he spoke to his friend. Tessa stayed kneeling, glaring at Claudio in an attempt to get him to hang up.

"No, she's _perfectly_ fine. They'll probably let her go in an hour or two."

"He doesn't need to know that," Tessa whined childishly. "Hang up the phone."

Finally becoming fed up, Claudio moved around the corner and out of her line of sight, leaving Tessa kneeling on the hospital bed with her face in her hands.

"Is everything okay?" Tessa looked up at the sound of the nurse's voice.

"Yeah," she nodded, "Perfect." She wasn't quite sure how to explain that her former friend was on the phone with her ex-boyfriend so she just moved back to a sitting position.

"Okay," the nurse said sceptically. "I just need to do your obs." The nurse wasn't surprised to see that Tessa's blood pressure had increased slightly after catching her kneeling on the bed looking slightly distressed.

"Why would you call _Rami_?" Tessa asked as soon as Claudio pushed back through the curtain.

"There was certain information that I didn't know," he told her calmly. "I had two people I could call and Jimmy wasn't picking up his phone." Tessa leaned forward, her jaw hanging.

She shrieked, "You called my brother?!"

Claudio, unfazed by the loudness of her voice, sat back down in the seat. He didn't say anything to her, choosing not to reward her shrieking.

The nurse came rushing back to them, worried about her patient. When she saw that Tessa was glaring at Claudio and perfectly fine, she left with a slight huff before she turned around to leave again.

"I can't believe you called my brother."

"Firstly, I needed to tell the doctors things while you were unconscious and I don't know all that much about you and, second, he deserves to know. When he calls back you can speak to him."

"No I can't."

"You're being childish."

"Tell him that I'll call him back and that I'm sleeping or something. You'll be void of all responsibility." She paused. "You could have called Alex Shelley."

"Alex Shelley? Why would I call Alex Shelley?"

"I've spent a lot of time with him since he started full time in New Japan."

"You and Shelley?" Claudio asked, obviously wondering if they had been in a relationship.

"No, not me and Shelley," she bit back defensively. As a teenager she had had quite the crush on him – he and her brother had been quite good friends resulting in Alex Shelley making numerous appearances at her house. It had become a running joke by the time she started her training. "His tag team partner, yes."

"Kushida," Claudio stated. Tessa was unable to gage his reaction to the situation properly. He seemed indifferent. Claudio was never indifferent about anything.

"Yujiro," she said back. Claudio let it go but he let out a slight laugh and Tessa knew he was thinking of the infamous Alex Shelley story.

* * *

><p>She had many texts from Colby when she finally checked her phone. They were half way back to the hotel and it was near 2 in the morning but Colby had been texting her every 10 minutes since she was taken from the arena in ambulance.<p>

"Jimmy?" Claudio asked, noticing her conflicted expression.

She nodded, "Yeah." It was easier than telling him it was Colby. Claudio would know straight away that she and Colby had rekindled their affair.

"When are you going to speak to him again?"

"When I feel like it," she responded sharply. Tessa was rarely ever rude but the topic of her family was something that always brought it out in her.

Claudio made a few offhanded comments as they drove back to the hotel but for the most part the drive was silent. Tessa stared at her phone, ready for the messages that Colby was sending her. She only responded once, when they were in the hotel's parking lot.

_Back at the hotel. Perfectly ok._

His lack of response confused her. She had responded immediately after one of his messages so it was highly unlikely that he didn't see it.

Claudio, despite her protests, walked her to her room. She told him repeatedly that she wasn't going to pass out on the way from the elevator to her door but he followed her just to be sure. Tessa thanked him tersely as she shut the door behind her. She was grateful that he had been there for her – especially because he didn't exactly like her – but she didn't need to be babysat.

For the next ten minutes she just sat on the end of the bed in silence. She could hear the people next door arguing loudly so she tried to make out any words or their voices. Her efforts were squandered when someone knocked on her door. She looked towards the alarm clock and sighed when she saw it was just past 2. Slowly and heavily, she walked to the door. She was exhausted.

"What are you doing here?" She asked lowly as soon as she opened it. She scrambled to grab at his arm and pull him into her room. The door slammed behind them.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I sent you a text, _I'm fine_ and you can't be here." Before she could say anything else, Colby walked towards her. In response she took multiple steps backwards before she found herself leaning against the wall. "Colby..."

"I broke up with Leighla," he told her with a small smile. He lifted a hand to brush some loose hair behind her ear. "We can do this. We can do _us_." The statement coupled with the way he was looking at her – soft eyes, soft smile – made her heart flutter. "This is a really nice colour on you," he said, playing with the hem of her mint green dress. She closed her eyes instinctively as he leaned towards her. Her small hands moved up to his chest and she slowly pushed him away.

"We can't do us, Colby."

He sighed, "Why not? We're both single." He stepped away from Tessa, knowing not to overstep his boundaries. She opened her eyes and saw that he was almost begging her. "Come on, Tessy..."

"You know why we can't." Her facial expression morphed from surprised to upset, his fell completely. "He's going to know. _Everyone_ is going to know. You just broke up with her." Tessa exhaled. "You broke up with her."

What he said was finally clicking in her brain. Her fists clenched by her side and she started to breathe heavily. Colby stepped back towards her, cupping her face in his hands. Thinking that she was about to go into anaphylaxis again.

"What is it?"

"No, no," she said quickly, pulling his hands away. "You need to get back with Leighla. _Why would you break up with her_?"

"I love you, Tessa. I want to be with you."

"Oh my god, no. Colby, you can't do this!" She exclaimed, her voice rising suddenly. "You need to leave and forget that this ever happened. It should never have gotten this far."

He furrowed his brow at her. She hurried to the door and pulled it open before turning to him and dragging him towards it, telling him he had to get out.

Tessa had just ruined his life, as far as she was concerned. He'd done for her what she had never done for him. He ended his relationship to be with her and she didn't know how to handle it.

When the door was shut, Tessa stared at it. Breathing heavily, her mind racing and tugging at her necklace in a panic, she wondered how she was going to get on with work with what had just transpired. She'd been with the company not even three months and the drama was already too much for her to handle.

* * *

><p><strong>an thank you to _Imagineer1392, deanambooty, UntilNeverDawns, Straight Edge Queen, CarolReigns, nmoxracha, Livin on the EDGE_ and _ajroleplays_ for leaving reviews!**


	20. The Fear Has Gripped Me

_The Fear Has Gripped Me_

_-Monday Night Raw, March 17-_

_The Divas Champion had a stellar victory over Summer Rae tonight. The match took place early on in the night which is a shame because it quickly became overshadowed by the rest of the card. Summer Rae's dancing gimmick apparently annoys Tia as much as it annoys me because she didn't even bother to attempt a handshake. Some memorable moments include Summer Rae almost getting the better of the champion numerous times during the match through roll ups as well as an impressive looking DDT. Tia's standing hurricanrana sent the crowd into a brief state of shock before a decent applause broke out and Tia responded with a curtsy._

_-Smackdown, March 21-_

_Nikki Bella issued a challenge to Tia on this week's show. Nikki said that she wanted a title shot at Wrestlemania and it looked as those Tia was going to accept the challenge before Natalya made her presence known. Stephanie McMahon came to the ring and made the decision that on Raw it would be Nikki Bella vs. Natalya in a #1 Contender's match._

* * *

><p>-March 24, 2014; Brooklyn, New York-<p>

The Legendary Divas photoshoots were coming to an end and Tessa's was one of the last shoots. She had been told that she would be the 'Mouth of the South' Jimmy Hart and her immediate reaction was to remind the people in charge that Jimmy Hart wasn't a wrestler. It didn't seem to matter to the higher powers, though, and Tessa was handed leather looking jeans, a polka dot blazer, a black skinny tie and a pair of strappy high heels and told to go change.

The realisation that she didn't have a top to wear underneath the jacket reminded her of the conversation she'd had during her Divas Day Off shoot. _'Who do you think we are? TNA? Please, we have class,' _the photographer had said. She borrowed some fashion tape from Brie and tried her hardest to keep the jacket closed enough that her bra wasn't seen; there was no way that she was going braless. Nikki had suggested it only to be reminded that Tessa's breasts were not quite perky enough to pull that off.

"I feel really slutty right now," Tessa whined to Brie as they walked towards the photography room. "This tie is sitting right in my cleavage and I look like a stripper."

"It's only for the shoot and you're pretty enough," Brie said as she looked over Tessa again. Tessa pursed her lips. "You don't look slutty. If you looked slutty they wouldn't be making you wear it. Is this even about the photoshoot, though? Or are you just thinking about Sami seeing you wearing a Jimmy Hart outfit?"

Tessa blanched. Sami Zayn was debuting and she had been told the previous week that Tia would need to greet him on camera and she needed to be giddy about it. The plan was making her feel sick to her stomach; it had been a long time since she'd been so nervous.

"I'm so nervous," Tessa said quietly. "I really think I might be sick."

Brie put her arm around Tessa and pulled her in for a hug, assuring her that she had nothing to be worried about and that she didn't have to spend time with Rami outside of their backstage segment together.

* * *

><p><em>-Live on Raw-<em>

"We're being joined by the Divas Champion for this next match up," Michael Cole said as the camera panned to the commentary table. "Tia, how are you feeling about this number one contender's match?"

"Well, I know that whoever wins this is more than deserving of a title shot," Tia said calmly. "Though I can't say that I'm not a little worried."

"Worried?"

"Both Nikki and Natalya are former champions, they both know what they're doing in the ring and I don't think beating them is going to be an easy feat. It wasn't easy to beat AJ."

"Do you think either of them deserves it more?"

"Whoever wins deserve it more, Michael," JBL cut in. "She doesn't know the answer to that yet."

"Let her answer the question, John."

"No, he's right."

"I'm always right," JBL said before he started to call the match.

Tia sat there for the entire match and watched as Nikki Bella and Natalya fought for their right to face her at Wrestlemania. She was asked about how she felt to be getting a match at the most important show on the wrestling calendar and she grinned before babbling on at a million miles an hour about how it was an honour and that her childhood dream was going to come true.

When the match ended and Nikki Bella was named the number one contender, Tia removed the headset and applauded. Nikki walked to the ropes nearest Tia and pointed at the championship that was sitting atop the table.

"It's mine, Tia!"

"You're going to have to beat me first," Tia said with a smile and a happy shrug.

* * *

><p><em>-Off Air-<em>

"You know that you're going to have to pry it out of my dead fingers, right?" Tessa asked Nikki as they walked back to the locker room together. She was aware of the cameras trailing behind her and trying not to do something stupid like drop her Championship while she was being filmed.

"If it was a real fight I'd kick your ass," Nikki claimed.

"I don't know," Tessa said with a laugh. "Judo background _and Japan_. I think I've got you covered."

Tessa laughed harder when Nikki's arm wrapped around her neck and she was pulled into a sleeperhold in the middle of the hallway.

"Awesome girls. We've got it." a camera man said and Tessa was taken out of the moment extracted herself . She was still getting used to them being around so often and she struggled to believe that any of the girls were okay with it. Having a camera so close to her made her freeze up more often than not – it was like interviews or commentary.

"So, now that those guys are gone," Nikki said, watching over her shoulder as the camera crew disappeared, "Brie said that you're nervous about Sami."

"I have to speak to him. I have to _work_ with him. I've _never_ felt like this."

The revelation scared her even further. They walked into the locker room and Tessa immediately sat down and put her head in her hands.

"Tessa, it's not even for 5 minutes. You've read what they want you to say, right?"

"I managed to avoid the little rehearsal thing because of the photoshoot."

Nikki stared at Tessa in disbelief before she rolled her eyes, breathed out a laugh and went to have a shower. Tessa had literally been avoiding Rami all day and it could cost them both when they were about to go live on television. It was his _debut_ and she was endangering it because of a few nerves.

Okay, so not a few nerves. A _lot_ of nerves.

There was a knock on the door and Tessa prepared herself, she knew that it was someone coming to get her for the segment. All the way to the designated area she had to remind herself to take deep breaths and not show any signs of trepidation.

It all went south when she saw Rami talking animatedly with Dean Malenko. He looked up almost instantly. Tessa dropped her gaze and checked for any chips in her nail polish.

"Clear the area. We're going live in 30 seconds!"

Tessa had really cut it close. She had been told to head there directly after she got backstage, but that would mean more time not looking at Rami.

"T-"

"Everyone ready! 3, 2-"

* * *

><p><em>-Live on Raw-<em>

"Sami!" Tia called out, grimacing when her voice echoed through the hallway. The newest member of the main roster turned around with a small smile on his face as Tia walked towards him.

"What's up?" he asked, a light laugh in his voice as Tia stood before him with a huge grin.

"I'm the welcoming committee – unofficial welcoming committee," she said, bouncing up and down ever so slightly.

"Awesome," he responded with a nod and kind smile.

"So, uh, welcome to the main roster and to, um, Monday Night Raw." It was clear that her behaviour had been affected by his presence – she was giddier than usual, bouncing up and down and animatedly using her hands. "Good luck tonight, not that you need it or anything. I mean, you're Sami Zayn – you know who you are. I'm gonna go before I embarrass myself anymore," she pointed haphazardly behind her, pulling an awkward face as she did so.

"Thanks, Tia," he chuckled, watching her carefully as she turned to walk away.

She didn't make it very far, though, before she turned around and continued speaking, this time more rushed and giggly, "If you want to hang out or you need a friend, like, I'm always here, you know? We can hang out or be friends or-" she cut herself off when she noticed that his smile had only grown bigger and that he looked ready to laugh at any moment. "I'm really going now."

"I'll take you up on that offer, so you know."

"Okay, okay. Great," she said with a large grin, nodding quickly before catching herself and pulling a face. Her embarrassment was evident to everyone but so was her giddiness. She quickly turned away from Sami, who was watching her curiously with a small smile on his face, and walked out of the shot.

* * *

><p><em>-Off Air-<em>

She kept walking. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her stomach felt like it was rising through her chest. Despite the people that were calling after her, Tessa did not stop as she found an exit. It was maybe 30 degrees outside and she felt the cold hit her instantly; her nose and ears began to sting at the sudden change in temperature.

Quickly, she gathered her hair in one hand, pulled it to the side and doubled over.

In her entire life it had only happened once. Being nervous never made her feel sick to the stomach; much less cause her to vomit a car park.

"Okay," she heard Summer say from behind her, her nose probably scrunched up at the sight and the stench. "Tess, that's really gross."

Tessa groaned and stood up straight, "I know."

Summer moved towards Tessa slowly and gently placed a hand on her back. The blonde directed them back into the building and walked them directly to catering in search of a bottle of water.

"How'd you know where I was?" Tessa asked before clearing her throat and grimacing.

"You ran out of the building in heeled boots," Summer stated simply. "Anyone near the area heard you if they didn't see you."

Tessa sat down in a table as close to a corner as she could find and slowly sipped at the water that was placed in front of her. Summer sat next to her and smiled at her sympathetically.

The only other time she had vomited because of nerves was that night in October of 2008. She had walked into the locker room to see both Colby and Rami with broken noses. Colby had snarled at her as he walked past her and simply told her that he never wanted to see her again. Rami, on the other hand, stopped at her and asked her _why_. In a moment of panic she'd told him the truth: she also loved Colby. The look that crossed Rami's face was what sent her over the edge and she ran out of the building. She hadn't even had time to pull her hair back or bend over far enough: she vomited on her shoes and into the ends of her hair.

Maybe she hadn't come as far as she'd thought.

* * *

><p><strong>an _UntilNeverDawns, Imagineer1392, nmoxracha, naive melody, peachilee, Straight Edge Queen, Carol Reigns, Guest, deanambooty _and _ajroleplays_ for taking the time to review!**


	21. I'll Bet You Didn't Even Know

_I'll Bet You Didn't Even Know_

_-Smackdown, March 28-_

_The Divas Champion was in action against Tamina and she seemed to be a little out of sorts. Michael Cole and JBL kept pushing that she was nervous about having to face Nikki at WrestleMania and I guess we'll have to take their word. Tia picked up the win after some outside interference from AJ. It's a little iffy that they're having the Champ win by DQ so close to the biggest show of the year. She needs to be showing her strengths. I guess everyone already knows she's as good as they come?_

* * *

><p><em>-March 31, 2014; Washington, DC-<em>

Tessa almost didn't believe it. Even after seeing the ring on AJ's left hand she struggled to believe it.

"Punk proposed?"

"Yeah, on Saturday night," AJ said. Tessa noted the lack of usual bite to her words. AJ was happy.

Tessa smiled sincerely, "Congratulations."

AJ smiled back before skipping out of the locker room, no doubt in the hopes of finding someone who hadn't yet heard the news.

"Never did I think I would see the day," Tessa said as she turned to Nikki.

"They're kind of perfect for each other."

"Yeah," Tessa agreed, "They are one hundred and ten percent perfect for each other. As long as I've known him, though, Punk has been _so_ anti-marriage."

"Maybe she's blackmailing him," Nikki said with a cheeky grin and shrug. "You can beat the smugness off her face later if you want."

Tessa shook her head, the light smile never leaving her face, as she assured Nikki that she was genuinely happy for AJ. Marriage was a happy occasion – at least it was supposed to be – and Tessa was always happy for other people if they were happy.

Tessa, wearing a pair of leggings and a Dolph Ziggler shirt, left the locker room with no particular destination. The only real plan she had was to not speak to Rami. They were on a different set of house shows so she hadn't had to worry about seeing him since the Tuesday before hand but they were going to have to do another live segment during the Raw broadcast and she was pretty set on not going to the rehearsal.

"We gave you a perfectly good shirt to wear but you willingly choose to wear _Ziggler_ merch? June, what are we going to do with you?"

Tessa turned around to look at Jon and walked backwards as she spoke, "What can I say? I like pink."

"You want to make someone's day?" he asked her abruptly, catching up to her.

"Always," Tessa smiled, turning back to walk normally. "Are you in the middle of granting a wish, or?"

"Not today. Reigns brought his daughter along and she is a huge Tia fan," he said, causing Tessa to grin even wider.

"Galina, too?" Tessa received a nod. "When do you think they'll get married? Punk proposed to AJ, did you know that? I think she mentioned something about a June wedding."

"I beat him to it, then," Jon said casually. Tessa whipped her head to look at him, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head. "Oh, fuck it."

"You got married? You and Darcy got married?" Tessa asked quickly and loudly. "I didn't even know you were engaged!"

"We weren't. It was very spur of the moment about 2 weeks ago. Feel privileged, you and Saraya are, as far as I know, the only people who know. Probably Adrian Neville, too."

"That's really fantastic," Tessa smiled. "Congratulations. My lips are sealed!"

Tessa's smile disappeared when Jon turned to her and started to speak in a lower tone. She looked away from him and down at her feet.

"But next time she comes to you saying _anything _about me, you tell me. If you'd told me that she thought I was cheating on her then we could have prevented a pretty big argument."

"She asked me not to," Tessa said quietly. "I'm pretty dreadful at a lot of things but keeping secrets I can do."

Jon didn't say anything else to her as he led her to catering. She heard Joe's daughter before they even rounded the corner, the happy squeal caused Tessa to grin and walk just that bit quicker.

The 6 year old gaped when Jon called her name and pointed to the Diva beside him. Tessa was taken aback when Jojo ran at her legs without hesitation.

"_Jo!_" Galina said in a stern voice. "What did we say about hugging people you don't know?"

"Sorry, mum!" Jojo apologised as she let go of Tessa's legs and stood back, suddenly sheepish. "Hi Tia! I'm Jojo. You're my favourite Diva. I think you're really pretty."

"Thank you, gorgeous!"

Before she had really even registered what was going on, Tessa was sitting on the ground and trying not to cringe at Jojo started to detangle her hair. Tessa looked up at Joe a little confused but shook her head lightly when he opened his mouth to tell his daughter to stop. Tessa didn't mind.

After about five minutes of Jojo tying Tessa's hair up in unusual places, Tessa convinced Jojo to sit down in front of her. Tessa began to French braid the girl's hair.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Jojo asked suddenly.

"No, I don't."

"You and Seth should get together," Jojo said and Tessa tried her hardest to keep her breathing steady. "Daddy has mummy and Dean has Darcy and Seth and Leighla broked up and now he's lonely."

"Why should it be me?" Tessa asked as she pulled elastic from her hair and tied the end of Jojo's French braid.

"He thinks you're the prettiest Diva. I think you are, too," Jojo said as she stood up and smiled. "Do I look pretty like you?"

"You are the prettiest person in this room," Tessa said as she stood up too. Jojo hugged Tessa's legs again before she ran off to tell everyone what she'd just been told.

* * *

><p>Tessa's eyes were drawn immediately to the ring on AJ's left hand. It was hard to miss, really. The four Divas – Nikki, AJ and Tamina – were all sitting near Gorilla waiting for their match.<p>

"Aren't you going to take off your ring?" Tessa asked, catching AJ's attention.

"I think I want to the world to know," AJ responded, holding her hand out in front of her to admire the ring. "See how they react, you know?"

"I'm really happy for you and understand that you want to share it with the world – even if that means starting a riot on the internet – but I don't feel comfortable wrestling you while you're wearing it."

"It's fine," AJ said, tugging at the ring to prove her point, "It won't come off."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Tessa muttered to Nikki who was sitting beside her. AJ didn't hear her but Nikki looked sideways to see that Tessa was sighing.

AJ and Tamina were to go out to the ring first, so when they were called to the curtain Nikki stood in front of Tessa and asked for an explanation.

"I don't think people should wear jewellery in the ring," Tessa shrugged. "Things go wrong, things get caught. Besides, if someone asks you do to something you do it so that the match runs as smoothly as possible."

"What do you plan on doing?"

Tessa merely smiled coyly at Nikki before making her way to the curtain.

* * *

><p><em>-Live on Raw-<em>

Tia and AJ started off the match and, after they shook hands, Tia immediately unleashed a fury of low kicks to AJ's legs. The sound of kick pads meeting skin resonated throughout the entire arena and AJ's face contorted in pain. Very real pain.

AJ finally got her bearings and was able to place her hands on Tia's chest, pushing the champion away. Tia took a few steps back and smiled innocently at her opponent.

Tia was forced onto her back as AJ jumped at her with a Lou Thesz Press.

"Who do you think you are?!" AJ shouted as she grabbed handfuls of Tia's hair and began slamming her head down against the mat. "You think you're _so_ good, don't you? But you'll never be better than me!"

Despite the might with which her head was being pushed into the mat, Tia was able to get her hands into AJ's face. She pushed her away, making sure to be as forceful as she possibly could. The Champion got to her feet just in time to see that AJ was trying to make the tag to Tamina.

She was quick to wrap AJ in a headlock and pull her back to the centre of the ring. She tightened her hold only to have AJ's elbow pushed back into her ribs causing her to let go. Capitalising on the fact that Tia was doubled over, holding onto her ribcage, AJ tagged in Tamina.

* * *

><p>AJ had just tagged back into the match and Tia barely had time to register that it had happened. It was obvious to everyone that the champion was doing everything she could to avoid tagging Nikki Bella into the match and she, because of it, was beginning to show signs of exhaustion.<p>

Wasting no time at all, AJ backed Tia into a corner and started striking her with fists – both left and right.

The stinging sensation that came from her cheek made Tia knee AJ in the stomach, perhaps too forcefully. Lifting her fingers up the sore spot, Tia winced when she came into contact with a particularly tender, slightly sticky spot.

She glanced over at Nikki. The look of surprise on her face confirmed Tia's suspicions. AJ Lee's engagement ring had managed to put a cut through Tia's right cheek. Grabbing a fistful of AJ's hair, Tia made her way over to Nikki. She allowed a tag to be made.

While Nikki wasted no time in taking control of the match, Tia ducked between the middle and bottom ropes. Her fingers were still brushing over her cheek as she stood up. When she pulled her hand away to look at them, she groaned at the sight of blood.

In the ring, Nikki had AJ Lee over her shoulders and was staring directly at Tia as she dropped to her knees. Tia nodded as Nikki covered AJ and got the pin.

Re-entering the ring, Tia tried to push her injury to the back of her mind, instead focusing on having her hand raised by the referee. Nikki wasn't smiling, though, and when the referee handed Tia her championship, Nikki's eyes never left it.

* * *

><p><em>-Off Air<em>-

AJ was waiting for Tessa at the curtain. She wasn't happy. Neither was Tessa.

"Why were you working stiff?" AJ asked, following Tessa who was already walking towards the trainers' room. Her hand was hovering over her right cheek and the small slice that was across it.

"I told you that I didn't feel comfortable with you wearing the ring during the match," Tessa stated calmly. "I _told _you and you didn't listen to me so I did what I know how do to."

"Work stiff? You think that's professional?"

Tessa took a deep breath before speaking through gritted teeth, "Listen, _sweetheart_, what you and I consider professional are clearly two different things because I would _never _have worn something that my opponent didn't want me to. Because of it, and _your_ stiff punches, I have to go get my cheek checked out and hope that I don't have a nasty scar and black eye for WrestleMania. You know, the Pay Per View that _you aren't on_."

AJ's jaw dropped but Tessa wasn't going to stick around so that the argument could continue. She could feel her eye starting to swell a little and, no matter how much Nikki told her otherwise, she knew that it wasn't just a scratch across her cheek.

"It won't need stiches," Nikki opted to say as they were ushered into a room by Ferdinand Rios. Tessa was relieved to hear that the doctor agreed.

"WrestleMania week literally starts tomorrow and I get to go into it with a black eye and cut on my cheek," Tessa pouted at Nikki.

"Occupational hazard. Sucks that it happened before a week jam packed with appearances and signings."

Tessa sighed as she was handed an icepack to put on the bruising to make sure it didn't get any bigger. It wasn't the worst she had – in fact it was probably the least severe – but if there was anything she could do to prevent swelling or bruising she was going to do it.

With the icepack held up to her face, Tessa was given the order to return it in ten minutes and allowed to wander around the arena. Nikki disappeared to change out of her ring gear so Tessa walked towards catering in hopes of finding someone else to talk to – maybe vent to, she hadn't decided.

"She give you that as revenge for those kicks? They looked brutal."

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard Colby's voice. They hadn't really spoken since she told him that they couldn't be together and, as far as she could tell, he was trying to act as casual as possible around her. She could do that. Casual.

"Probably," Tessa answered, turning around to look at Colby. He lifted his hand up to the icepack and pulled it away to get a better look. He pulled a small face when he saw the damage. "I just hope it's gone down before the Hall of Fame because it'd be really crummy if I had to have my picture taken with a glorious shiner _and_ a nice cut."

Colby shrugged with a small smile, "You look tough. The cut, though, was that from the rock she's got? If it makes you feel any better: it means she's got some skin and probably some blood wedged into it now."

Tessa couldn't help but laugh. It did make her feel better, as petty as it might have been, to know that AJ had to try and clean her DNA out of the, no doubt expensive, piece of jewellery. She put the icepack back up to her face as she realised that she had things she actually had to say to Colby.

"Did you talk to Jimmy? He's still posting those stupid pictures – no one needs to see me at 15 with braces and a million zits. I'd be quite happy if they just assumed I always looked this good."

"That one," Colby said with a nod, "might actually be my favourite photo that's he's posted."

"_Colby!_"

"I spoke to him!" he held his hands up in defence immediately. "He said that if you want him to stop then you have to ask him yourself."

"And you didn't tell me this as soon as he told you?"

"Would you have spoken to him?"

Tessa shut her mouth immediately. It was on her list of things to do she just wanted to make sure she didn't have a million things on her plate first.

"I will," she said firmly. When wasn't important. "Before you go... When you're talking to Jojo can you not mention me?"

"She loves you. She brings you up more often than not."

"She wants us to date," Tessa said quietly. "You need to get her to stop."

Colby's face contorted in utter confusion, "She's just a kid she doesn't mean anything by it."

Tessa sighed at him but opted to drop it in order to avoid an argument in the middle of the arena.

"I have to go be on television again," Tessa told him as she turned around to walk away. "Please don't let her make a big deal out of it."

It was probably an overreaction – they were pretty harmless comments from a 6 year old – but there was the possibility that _someone_ would overhear a comment, any comment, and it would immediately be skewed into something that they couldn't afford to have out in the world.

As she walked into the filming area she was told that they had a change of script to accommodate for the icepack she was carrying and the injuries she had attained in her match. She was reprimanded for missing the rehearsal but there wasn't anything they could do to change that as they were moments away from going live. Of course, they would be adlibbing almost the entire thing because of the changes so it didn't really matter at the end.

Her professionalism – though stellar in the ring – apparently did not extend to filming backstage segments.

* * *

><p><em>- Live on Raw-<em>

Tia was stopped in her tracks as a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She turned around, moving the icepack from her face. She smiled.

"Sami Zayn," she said happily.

Sami Zayn stood before her with his eyebrows pulled together slightly, taking in her new injury.

"I was going to ask if I could take you up on that offer to hang out," he told her slowly, before lifting his hand to point at her face, "But now I'm just wondering if you're okay."

"Of course I'm okay," she nodded sincerely before shrugging. "Worse things have happened. I'd love to hang out, though."

"Yeah?" he asked, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "We should do something after the show."

Tia continued to smile at him while she tried to ignore the growing redness of her cheeks. She agreed with him before wishing him good luck in his match and explaining that she had to go return the icepack.

"Don't hurt yourself again before we go out," he joked.

"I won't," she smiled at him, turning to walk away. She stopped, though, and turned back to him, "You should do the same. This was your idea, so you should at least be able to enjoy it."

"I'm not going to risk missing this date."

"Oh," Tia said with slightly wide eyes. Her blushing was no longer ignorable. "A date? I thought you said hanging out."

He closed his eyes and cringed before reopening them and smiling at her innocently, "Is that alright?"

"I would be more than happy to call it a date," she assured him. "I really do have to take this back, though. It's kind of making my hand numb."

"Sorry, go ahead. I'll see you later."

"I can't wait."

* * *

><p><em>-Off Air-<em>

Cut was called and the camera was turned off. Crew started to move freely around them and Tessa used it as her opportunity to get away. The plan didn't work as well as she hoped though because as soon as he saw that she was actually walking away, Rami followed her.

"Tessa-"

"I actually do have to take this back," she told him quickly, lifting the melting icepack. "My hand is really cold."

"I can walk with you," he said, clearly taken aback by the coldness of her voice. "I just wanted to know how you are. After the anaphylaxis thing and Summer said that you weren't feeling last week."

"I'm not dead."

"Well, yeah," he said gesturing to her limply. "Why are you being so rude? Am I not allowed to talk to you?"

They had reached the trainer's room and Tessa stood to the side of the door, looking around for anyone who might overhear them.

"I'm trying to not start something, okay? Can we _please_ just keep this strictly for work?"

"Um," Rami hesitated, "Uh – yeah?"

Without another word, Tessa turned into the room. When she knew that Rami hadn't followed her in she took a few deep, shaky breaths. It wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

><p><strong>an thank you to _deanambooty, ajroleplays, Imaginer1392, nmoxracha, Straight Edge Queen, Livin on the EDGE_ and _CarolReigns_ for reviewing! :D**


	22. I'll Be Your Best Kept Secret

_I'll Be Your Best Kept Secret_

_-April 3, 2014; New Orleans, Louisiana-_

It was nothing like she had expected. The entire roster had been pulled into meetings and had the itinerary explained to them, they had been lectured on proper behaviour and then had their itinerary explained again but she still wasn't expecting it to be as busy as it had been.

It was only day 3 of WrestleMania Week and Axxess wasn't set to start until later that night. Tessa was sure that she would be absolutely exhausted before the week was out. She just had to keep on her toes or risk not being okay for her match.

Interviews had taken up most of her day already but when she sat down opposite Sam Roberts she was happy that they had already done one before.

"I have with me, _again_, The Divas Champion. Tia, I'm really happy to have you back."

"Glad to be back."

"I _was_ going to jump straight into some talk about Japan but I feel like talking about the cut on your face would be a lot more interesting."

"These things happen."

"It doesn't take a genius to work out that it's because of a stiff, _left handed _punch."

"There's a lot of speculation going around about this, isn't there? It's not a big deal. Like I said, these things happen. I'm more concerned about how much makeup is going to be required to cover it up at the Hall of Fame."

"It doesn't look too bad; hopefully it'll be gone by then. Has anything changed now that AJ Lee is sporting that ring?"

"I don't spend much time with her so I don't know if anything has changed."

"You're not friends with AJ?"

"You can't be friends with everyone."

"You _are_ friends with Nikki Bella, though, aren't you? There have been plenty of photos of you two on twitter and instagram. How do you feel about having to face her at WrestleMania?"

Tessa explained that she was looking forward to facing her friend in what could be the most important match of her life. Throughout the rest of the 20 minute interview she was asked questions about Japan, the change in environment, the pressure going into WrestleMania as champion. Tessa all the while managed to avoid any questions about AJ Lee.

"What are your plans for the rest of the week?"

"Tomorrow I get to build a playground with KaBOOM! and I have more interviews, signings, I get to hang around at Axxess and get beaten in the first round of 2k14. Tonight, though, is my only night off and I think I'm going out somewhere with Summer Rae."

"Do you know where you're going yet?"

"Not a clue, I let her be in charge."

Finishing up the interview, Tessa told everyone to be safe, respectful and to have fun during the week leading up to the biggest night of the year.

* * *

><p>"I'm really not happy that you're not coming out tonight."<p>

"I get to go to a red carpet event. I would rather do that than let Summer Rae get me drunk during WrestleMania week."

"_Nikki Bella_ not wanting to get drunk?" Tessa asked in mild shock. "We're in New Orleans and you don't want to get drunk? _I_ want to get drunk."

"You have to go to work tomorrow, don't get too drunk."

Tessa rolled her eyes and scoffed, "I'm more responsible than you are."

Tessa was sitting in Nikki's hotel room watching her do her hair and makeup for the Superstars for Kids. As Divas Champion she expected to be involved in more than just building a playground and attending the Susan G. Komen luncheon but there was a sense of relief that she had some time to rest, and play.

"You're going to run into every person you've ever worked with this week. You know that, right?"

"That's partly why I want to get drunk," Tessa sighed. "Maybe then I won't care as much."

It wasn't much later that Nikki had to leave – John came to the hotel room door looking very nice in his expensive suit – and Tessa made her way back to the hotel room that she was sharing with Summer.

When she walked in, she groaned upon noticing the dress that Summer had laid out for her. Without even having to lift it up she knew that it was going to be tight. She wasn't opposed to tight fitting dresses but the cut-outs over her chest combined with the tightness and most likely shortness made her wish that she hadn't put so much power into Summer's hands.

"I love that dress a lot so you have to look after it," Summer stated, walking out of the bathroom in a similar dress. "You, my dear, are going to get laid tonight."

"No, Summer, I don't want that," Tessa protested, putting the dress back down. "I just want to go out and have fun."

"Have fun with a cute guy then," Summer insisted, moving forward to put her arms on Tessa's shoulders. "_Live a little_, Tess. You're young and gorgeous you can't pine over cute redheads for the rest of your life."

Tessa's eyes widened and she shook her head quickly, "I'm not pining over _anyone_. I just don't think it's a good idea to go out and sleep with the first person who looks at me twice."

"You're the Divas Champion; you could have your pick out of anyone."

She didn't respond to the comment. It wasn't the first time she'd been told that she could date whoever she wanted – Nikki told her almost every time they were out somewhere. She wasn't interested. It made no difference whether she was sneaking around with Colby or not, sleeping with fans always made her feel more than a little uncomfortable.

"Get dressed; we have dinner reservations for 7."

* * *

><p>Just like Nikki had predicted, Tessa had seen more former co-workers than she could count on both hands. A lot of them had sent her curious looks, others had watched her closely for far too long but none made any effort to talk to her. She was slowly drinking her cares away.<p>

"June!"

Tessa sighed, wishing that she hadn't been able to hear her name be called. No doubt she would have been followed had she pretended to not hear it. She turned around and smile - it was genuine enough, she had missed him, but it could mean Jimmy was close by.

"Chuck!"

She hugged her old friend tightly, surprised that he reciprocated. He and Rami were very close.

"Wow! Look at you!" Chuck Taylor exclaimed, standing back to look at Tessa properly. "Little June Jacobs actually grew up. Here _I_ was thinking it was the magic of television."

"What have I said about talking to me like I'm so much younger than you?" She said in a joking tone. "It's a matter of _months_."

"Yeah but you're a whole lot more innocent than me," he told her, directing them over to the bar. "Besides, _someone_ had to be the baby and I was sick of it being me."

Tessa's eyes drifted to his hands as he pulled out his phone. She had a terrible habit of staring at people's phones when they were texting. Some shrugged it off as natural curiosity, others criticised her for being nosey.

Chuck opened up his messages and Tessa nearly snatched his phone from his hand when she saw _Jimmy Jacobs_ being typed into the 'To:' bar.

"You can't tell Jimmy where I am," Tessa said desperately, reaching forward to snatch the phone from Chuck's hand.

"He's my friend, J," he reminded her, moving the phone out of her reach.

"You're _my_ friend, too. I know that I messed up and then I left but _please_, Chuck. I'm just here to have a good time."

"Lying by omission is still lying. I have to tell him."

"I'll introduce you to Summer Rae," Tessa said quickly when he brought his phone back in front of him.

"What?" he asked, looking up from his phone. It was clear that he was interested.

"If you promise me that you won't tell Jimmy – I will introduce you to Summer Rae," she smiled at him. He hesitated before shaking his head.

"Bros before hoes."

Tessa wasn't fazed, calmly stating, "She's leggy, blonde and a WWE Diva. You can't have changed _that_ much that the idea doesn't make you a little excited."

"It makes me a little excited, yeah."

"Jimmy never has to know, okay? Seriously, this is between you and me."

He still didn't look too convinced but he nodded nonetheless. Tessa had made no promises other than introducing him though he clearly had other ideas in mind.

Tessa took hold of Chuck's forearm and pulled him away from the bar and towards Summer. She was still sitting in the same spot where Tessa had left her though she was accompanied by Dolph Ziggler.

"Oh hey," Tessa smiled leaning in to hug him. "How long have you been here?"

"I just walked in; I haven't even gotten a drink yet."

Tessa nodded before shifting her weight and standing back to push Chuck slightly in front of her.

"Summer, Dolph this is my friend Chuck Taylor."

"Hi," Summer said with a large smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah man, it's great to meet you. The Best Friends stuff is great," Dolph said, shaking Chuck's hand.

"Thanks." Chuck pointed into a large group of people, "Trent's actually around here somewhere if you wanted to say hey."

Dolph nodded and said that he would find him on his way to get a drink and he convinced Tessa to go with him as he was leaving. She waved quickly at Summer and Chuck when Dolph started to guide her away.

"You're not a bad wing woman," Dolph commented when they stopped at the bar.

"Believe me," Tessa said with a slight shake of her head and a light laugh, "it wasn't at all my intention."

She ordered herself another drink, simple vodka lemonades, and spent the rest of the night shadowing Dolph. He introduced her to some new people and invited her into conversations whenever he got the chance though she was more than happy to just stand around and look like she had friends.

Each time she glanced back at Summer and Chuck they appeared to be getting closer and closer to each other. She couldn't help but groan. She had no problem in being Summer's wing woman, it had proven fun the few times she had done it, but doing the same for Chuck just made her feel dirty. He was great, she knew that he was a good guy, but she knew that it didn't take much for him to sleep with someone. A few of his sexual partners had been questionable – and it had been years since the last one she saw.

"Why aren't you having fun?" Dolph asked, drawing her attention away from her two friends. "You look way too dressed up to just be standing next to me. I don't hate it – I'm always happy to have a hot girl by me – but you sort of look like you do."

"I'm not too big a fan of casual sex," Tessa responded with a casual shrug. "I don't mean to ruin your chances. You can tell me to leave you alone; I promise I won't be offended."

Dolph shook his head and laughed, "You're keeping me out of trouble. I appreciate it."

* * *

><p>Tessa was walking back to her hotel room alone. It was just after 2 – late by no one's standards – but she knew that she needed to be well rested for the playground building in the morning.<p>

Jimmy, to her surprise, hadn't made any appearances. Despite the number of independent wrestlers in the bar he hadn't come looking for her. Perhaps no one cared enough to let him know that his estranged sister was there, perhaps he didn't actually care enough to hunt her down or perhaps he just didn't want to have their reunion be in the middle of a crowded bar. Whatever the reason, she had seen neither hide nor hair of Jimmy Jacobs.

As Tessa walked out of the elevator, her mood deflated. Colby was standing in front of the doors.

"Hey," she said softly, moving to walk past him.

"Hey," he said back. He stepped forwards into the elevator only to change his mind and step back out just before it closed. "Can we talk?"

"About what?" It was a genuine question, in no way cold or rude. "You know that we can't. I really need to focus on wrestling and being a good champion."

"It's not because of him?" Colby asked, noticing that she was walking them to her hotel room.

"No," she told him as earnestly as she could. "This is about me. It's about you deserving better. No one knows – Jon and Darcy excluded – and don't you think it'd be best for everyone if it stays that way?"

He nodded, agreeing that it was definitely better that way. Tessa smiled at him again, pushing her card into the slot and opening her door. As she stepped into the room she told him goodnight with a warm smile.

* * *

><p><strong>an Thanks to _ajroleplays, deanambooty, Straight Edge Queen, Imagineer1392, naive melody, CarolReigns, nmoxracha, UntilNeverDawns, Guest_ and _Livin on the EDGE_ for leaving reviews last chapter! :D**


	23. I Can't Get Over You

_I Can't Get Over You_

_-April 5, 2014, New Orleans, Louisiana-_

The lines were absolutely ridiculous. Never had she imagined that anyone would be lining up to get her autograph. She had been assigned a table alongside Cesaro – she vaguely recalled an explanation but had trouble remembering what it was – so a lot of people in the line were probably there to see the Swiss Superman but it did nothing to dampen her mood.

"You ready, Champ?"

"Couldn't be more."

Applause broke out as the two walked out onto the raised platform. Tessa waved somewhat timidly as she tried to wrap her head around just how many people were waiting whereas Claudio's wave was largely exaggerated to ensure that that those in the back could see it.

Tessa positioned the Diva's Championship at the front of the table before taking her seat behind it. She smiled at Claudio, who was sitting on her left, a little nervously but managed to push it away when the first people were brought up the stage.

An 8 x 10 photo was slid onto the table in front of her by a young boy, perhaps 8 or 9 years old, his father closely by his side.

"Hey, how are you?" Tessa asked, watching as the boy's face dropped a little and he froze, suddenly at a loss for words. "Oh, come on! I don't bite! I promise!"

"I've heard otherwise," Claudio interjected casually. Tessa looked at him just as casually before looking up to the boy's father who was obviously trying to fight back a laugh.

"Don't listen to him," Tessa said to the boy in a soft voice. "What's your name?"

"Justin."

Tessa beamed and wrote a quick little message on the photo before picking it up and putting it in front of Claudio.

Another person appeared in front of her and the day was officially started. Most of the kids were a lot like Justin – timid, nervous and star struck – and they all had Tessa cooing and trying her hardest to be calm so she wouldn't make them any more nervous than they were.

The adults who walked through without any kids were a different story entirely. Claudio didn't seem too bothered by the women – and occasional man – who were flirting shamelessly with them; he appeared to find it amusing. On the other hand, the brazen comments were throwing Tessa off. To make things even more uncomfortable Claudio didn't have any problem in encouraging the behaviour.

Tia had just finished talking to one man who assured her that he had seen _every_ match she'd ever wrestled in and she had _never ever_ looked better than she did now that she was in the WWE – if he hadn't been staring at her breasts the entire time she might have taken it as a compliment – when an assistant tapped her on the shoulder.

"I just wanted to let you know that your brother is in the line."

"Brother?" Tessa asked quickly, trying to keep her voice down. "Which brother?"

"Jimmy Jacobs. I have permission to let him wait back here if you'd like-"

"No," she cut off the assistant. "It's fine. He probably has stuff to do anyway."

Claudio stopped halfway through is conversation with the man to turn to Tessa and raise his eyebrow at her.

"Don't look at me like that!" She said in complete exasperation before trying to search the crowd for the familiar face. She spotted him, not too far down and she groaned quietly. A sick feeling was building up in her stomach.

It took a lot of concentration to return to character, to smile at everyone who was coming to see her. Every person that walked towards her was a person closer to Jimmy and by the time he was roughly 10 people from the stairs other people had begun to tell her that he was waiting in line.

"Yeah," Tessa nodded with a forced smile. "I can see him just down there."

"Do you know why he's lining up for? You can get him in anywhere, can't you?"

"Do we know why Jimmy does anything?"

When he walked onto the stage she tried her hardest to maintain her happy facade – the fans did not need to know that she and her brother weren't talking – it was actually helped by the smile that was on his face and the spring that was in his step.

Jimmy greeted Claudio first; they hugged and expressed how good it was to see each other. Tessa stood up and waited for Jimmy to look to her, when he hugged her, too, she wasn't all that surprised. However, the realness of the hug – the tightness, the length – sent a quiver to her bottom lip.

"Can't say I ever expected you two to be together at a WWE signing," Jimmy remarked as he stood back, looking at them both sitting at the table side by side. "Always pictured me sitting beside her to be perfectly honest."

"We all did, J," Claudio responded, sad for his friend. "Next year?"

"That'd be great," Jimmy agreed wholeheartedly before turning to Tessa, "wouldn't it, June?"

Tessa nodded quickly, unsure how else to respond. He was acting so _casually._

Jimmy waited for their signatures – he _had_ paid his money, after all – before exiting the stage with no fuss or argument, instead he was cheering loudly about how he had gotten Tia's autograph. Tessa had to turn to Claudio to make sure that it had in fact happened and it hadn't been entirely in her imagination.

She was so dumbfounded that she forgot to ask him to stop posting photos.

* * *

><p>"Jimmy did show up, didn't he?"<p>

"He was there, yes. You look upset?"

"Confused, actually," she exhaled, still struggling to believe what had happened – or what had _not_ happened. "Why didn't he say anything?"

"I get the impression that you think a lot worse of yourself than everybody else does," Claudio commented, walking them away from the small behind the scenes area and further from prying eyes and ears.

Tessa sighed, "Nattie won't look at me."

"Okay, so she's one person."

"Punk hates me," she said, slightly exasperated.

"There are a lot of people Punk doesn't like. Besides, you were never exactly his favourite person," Claudio reminded her, she rolled her eyes. "It has literally nothing to do with what happened. If you stopped over thinking this you would realise that no one cares. People were worried that you coming in was going to cause trouble for everyone but nothing has changed so no one cares."

Tessa went quiet. It made a certain amount of sense but it _shouldn't have_. She didn't want it to. Somewhere in her mind she always knew that people couldn't be mad at her forever but the thought of it was always quickly squashed – she took the job in Japan to get away from everything, if she was running from nothing...

"Have you got a date for tonight?" Tessa asked abruptly, getting her head way from the subject of her past transgressions.

"Pardon?" Claudio asked, clearly confused by the sudden subject change.

"It's childish and silly but I don't want to walk out in front of everyone by myself so I was hoping that you would be my date."

The clarification caused Claudio to grin and laugh under his breath.

"I'm flattered," he said as he held his hand up to his heart, "but you really should buy me dinner first."

Tessa rolled her eyes and started to walk away, "Forget I said anything."

"I'm joking, T. It would be an honour to have you as my date. It might confuse the fans, though," he said with a sarcastically sad shake of his head. "They think you and Rollins are together. Especially since he broke up with Leighla."

"People will believe anything, huh?" Tessa asked, making sure to have a laugh in her voice. "A couple photos in the same vicinity and we're apparently dating. By tomorrow you and me will be married."

* * *

><p>Tessa opted to get ready by herself before the Hall of Fame. Most of the girls would be getting ready with their partners anyway so it wasn't like she was missing out on any gossip. She had already heard people talking about Jimmy showing up to her signing table and she would be avoiding that topic of conversation while she could.<p>

She and Claudio decided to meet each other in the hotel lobby at 7 and they would walk to Smoothie King Center together – it seemed silly to take a taxi to when it was so close. Tessa was sure that ten minutes of walking – even in her nicest dress and heels – would be nothing and she had to do something to make up for the amount of time she was spending in cars.

Tessa was smiling when she walked out of the elevator and saw that Claudio was waiting for her.

"I definitely could have done worse," Claudio commented, looking up and down her black dress, pink shoes and handbag.

"Yeah," Tessa nodded, looking him up and down too, "so could I. You look good, C."

"Beautiful," he said to her. "Rami's not going to be very happy with me."

Tessa frowned, "What does he have to do with anything?"

"He might not take too kindly to the idea of me going to the Hall of Fame with his very attractive ex-girlfriend."

"You're my impromptu date-" Tessa started to defend herself, wanting to make sure that he knew that she had meant nothing romantic by asking him. He was quick to cut her off.

"I'm just playing. Though, he's probably going to be jealous. Everyone will be."

Tessa rolled her eyes and gestured towards the doors. If she were being totally honest, she was getting sick of cutting conversations shirt so abruptly but she found it necessary to avoid any of them becoming awkward.

* * *

><p>"Did I miss the memo?" Tessa questioned, holding her purse in front of her stomach self-consciously.<p>

"What memo?" Nikki asked, pulling them towards the photobooth that had been set up for the evening.

"The evening gown memo... You clearly all decided on floor length and now I look out of place and like a hooker-"

"Tess, calm down," Brie laughed, putting her hands on her friend's shoulders. "You look great and if anything now you stand out. The champion has to stand out. You did a great job of your make-up, by the way. You can barely see a bruise and that cut is hardly even noticeable."

Tessa smiled but couldn't shake the slight awkward feeling. She honestly felt that she looked out of place. She knew that she would have been told if short dresses weren't allowed at the Hall of Fame but standing in a room wearing a dress that barely hit the knee when everyone else's hit the floor was unnerving.

The twins pulled her into the booth and they all pulled funny faces. They had been told that there was a good chance that the photos would be put up on the website but that hardly bothered them.

"Why are you here with Cesaro?" Nikki asked when they were waiting for the photos to develop. "I don't want to tell you how to live but that doesn't sound like a smart thing for you to be doing. And you also just about ripped Trin's head off when she suggested it."

"It's not anything like that, I swear. I didn't want to be the loser who showed up alone so I recruited Claudio to save myself the embarrassment."

Nikki laughed rather wholeheartedly at the explanation while Brie managed to suppress hers into a more respectful, short giggle. Tessa shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Good," Brie said as Nikki took time to regain her breath, "because Sami Zayn has been looking at you since you walked in and I _really_ think that you should go over and say hi."

Tessa felt two hands on her shoulders and before she knew it she was being pushed in the direction of her ex-boyfriend. When she tried to plant her feet and stop any forward movement, Tessa found that another set of hands were placed onto her shoulders and any efforts she had at stopping were futile.

"Guys, _please. _Don't do this," Tessa pleaded, trying to turn her head so they can see exactly how much she did not want to speak to him. How _scared_ she was.

"It'll be better for everyone if you just get this out of the way," Nikki said calmly.

"I spoke to him last week at Raw!"

"Hardly! He spoke to Bryan about it and apparently you were very rude." Brie's tone was scolding, like that of a mother talking to a child. Tessa sighed.

"I don't want to do this in front of people! What if it ends badly?"

"If that happens we'll deal with it then. Now, take a deep breath and try not to look like you're about to wet yourself."

Tessa wanted to make a witty retort to Nikki's cheap shot but found herself at a loss for words. The twins let her go and she realised that she was standing 3 feet from Rami Sebei.

"Hi," he said uncertainly, his eyes following the twins as they walked away with their most innocent smiles plastered on her face.

"Hi," she said back in a whisper, keeping her eyes trained on whatever happened to be behind him.

"Your eye looks good," he commented. She knew him well enough to know that he felt awkward, she did too, and she felt her heart constrict.

She nodded, "Thankfully."

She had just opened her mouth to speak again, to tell him that she needed to speak to Claudio again when he beat her to it.

"You look fantastic, T."

Tessa blinked slowly, once and then twice, finally shifting her gaze so that that they were making eye contact. She hesitated, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to think of something to say. Nothing would come out.

Without a word, Tessa turned around and walked away from him. She heard him sigh as she moved away but nothing was going to make her turn back around. She had so much she wanted to say and no way of putting it into words.

"Well, that was a disaster."

"Thank you, Claudio, your input is always much appreciated," Tessa muttered, walking into a completely different room. As far away from Rami as possible was where she wanted to be.

"You need to speak to him, Tessa. _Properly_," Claudio said to her, watching as she tried to calm herself down. She had started to shake a little because of how nervous the interaction had made her.

"I'll speak to him," she told him firmly. She opened up her handbag and pulled out her phone. It was about time for Jimmy to post another photo of her and after seeing him earlier that morning she was very interested to see what he would do.

"When will you?"

"'When will you?' he asks in his gorgeous Swiss accent," Tessa said, looking at him. She had repeated what he said in a near perfect Swiss accent causing him to laugh despite the conversation. "Oh, you think that's funny? I can also do Japanese and French-Canadian."

He sighed at her, "You can't put it off forever."

"Oh, sorry, I don't know that one."

* * *

><p>Tessa was nearly blown away when she walked out onto the red carpet for the pre-show. With Claudio by her side, she had put her hand over her heart with him and everyone in attendance. When 'We The People!' was shouted back at them, Tessa could hardly believe it.<p>

Playing into Tia as much as she could, she needed to assure Byron Saxton that she and Cesaro were only friends and they had come as friends. The interviewer was quick to ask about Tia's date with Sami Zayn but she simply blushed and changed the topic. When he asked her if it was because she didn't kiss and tell she responded with a simple "That's for me and Sami to know."

As exciting as the night was, her favourite moment would have to be meeting the Legends of the WWE.

Standing in front of The Ultimate Warrior nearly sent her into hysterics. She wasn't old enough to remember watching him when he was in his prime but that didn't take away from the hours and hours of videos she had watched where she'd come to love him just like so many others.

When Razor Ramon winked at her and told her to keep up the good work, Tessa had blushed more than she had in recent memory. All Tessa could see in her mind was a 1998 Scott Hall. He had – as much as it embarrassed her to admit – been her first crush as a 12 year old starting to go through puberty.

"We should probably get out of here before you drool anymore," Claudio said, raising his hand to her chin and wiping away the nonexistent drool.

"You don't have to be mean about it," Tessa said defensively, crossing her arms. "I wasn't the only girl to have a crush on Scott Hall, okay? I don't even care that he was 40."

"Oh, I know you don't. I think you have a thing for guys with chest hair." Claudio made the statement with a look of pride at his revelation. "Scott Hall, Shawn Michaels – I bet you _loved_ AJ Styles and we _all _know that you asked me to be your date because of my chest hair."

"Okay, I get it." Tessa relented, rolling her eyes at him. There was a definite truth to the theory. "Speaking of chest hair, I didn't see Colby anywhere in there."

Claudio laughed, "Nice segue. He had a signing."

Tessa raised an eyebrow. It wasn't fair that people had to miss out on such a great evening for anything – even their fans – but if it saved her from any more awkward situations then she couldn't complain.

* * *

><p><strong>an As always, thanks go to _nmoxracha, UntilNeverDawns, Imagineer1392, ajroleplays, CarolReigns, deanambooty, Straight Edge Queen _and _naive melody_ for taking the time to review! :D_  
><em>**

**So, Survivor Series! Who's proud of Dolph? _I_ am proud of Dolph. And also holy shit Sting. So much PPV goodness!**


	24. Nothing Ever Mattered More Than This

_Nothing Ever Mattered To Me More Than This_

_-April 6, 2014; New Orleans, Louisiana-_

In 2007 Tessa Scobille went to her first WrestleMania. As one of the 80,000 plus people at Ford Field, she had been sitting in not-so-great seats to see The Undertaker go 15-0, Vince McMahon get his head shaved and John Cena make Shawn Michaels submit to retain the WWE Championship. 7 years later she was set to defend the Divas Championship at WrestleMania XXX.

"You're not going to vomit are you?"

Nikki's question came when she noticed that Tessa's knee had started to bounce.

From the moment they had been told that they would be going on second-to-last both girls had understood that the match time was likely to be cut but to know that they were going to be on so late in the card had made them all the more excited. It also made Tessa more nervous.

"I don't think so but I'll let you know if that changes," Tessa said, laughing under her breath. "7 minutes?"

"7 minutes," Nikki repeated, not too pleased that their time had been cut. It was because the opening segment went longer than it was supposed to but the last thing either of the Divas was going to do was hunt down Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold and The Rock to tell them off.

After they ran through their match for the last time, they parted ways. Both had different methods for getting into the right headspace and they conflicted with each other. Tessa's preferred method was finding as quiet a space as possible and stretching whereas Nikki's usually involved a conversation and stretch with her sister.

Tessa had missed most of the Pay Per View purely because she didn't want to know what she had to follow – if she knew anything of the crowd's expectations during such a big show it would only lead to failure. The only match she had watched was Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H because, despite how hard she knew it would be to follow; watching Daniel Bryan win at WrestleMania was well worth it.

She knew that the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal was won by Cesaro and that, on the pre-show, Fandango had defeated Big E by total fluke for the Intercontinental Championship. Other than that, she had managed to avoid even results.

However, when she walked to the curtain and realised that they were following the end of The Undertaker's streak, she knew that it wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

><p>-<em>Live on PPV; WrestleMania XXX-<em>

The Divas' gazes both followed the title as the referee hoisted it above his head. Tia was breathing in and out deeply as she did so, trying to keep herself composed; Nikki's bouncing up and down did little to quell her nerves.

The bell rang, Tia and Nikki locked up immediately. The power struggle lasted a few seconds before Nikki came out on top and shoved Tia back towards the ropes. Nikki leapt at her with a clothesline. When Tia returned to her feet, she was hit by another.

On Nikki's third attempt, Tia managed to duck out of the way causing Nikki to land face first on the mat. Tia grabbed Nikki's leg and dropped it down, targeting her knee.

Nikki set up the _Nikki Rack Attack_ and everyone was convinced that the end of the match had come with Tia lying lifeless across her shoulders. The knee that Tia had been targeting was unable to hold the extra weight. She fell sidewards, allowing Tia to roll off without taking any damage.

Tia, when she stumbled to her feet, noticed that Nikki was cradling – she knew that she had to finish the match then and there – and she reached for Nikki's legs, pulling her to the centre of the ring, and quickly applied the cloverleaf. Nikki started to shout and tried to twist herself over but Tia held her ground, leaning backwards as far as she could.

In a matter of seconds Nikki had tapped out.

Tia had never looked so happy – not even when she won the Divas Championship for the first time. This was her WrestleMania moment and she got it after not even 6 months with the company.

She was handed her championship and she hoisted it onto her shoulder before dropping into a curtsey in the centre of the ring.

* * *

><p><em>-Off Air-<em>

Tessa and Nikki were met by Brie and Summer at the curtain but as they complimented their match Tessa found her attention being held by 6 other people; Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Batista, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Vince McMahon.

After a moment or two, Brie moved over to stand with her soon-t0-be husband and Summer and Nikki both left in search of a television where they could watch the match. Tessa didn't move, though. She just watched as they prepared the Main Event for the biggest show of the year.

All excitement about winning her first Mania match had completely disappeared as she watched them talk. She was remembering conversations she'd had with Bryan years ago about his goals and his dreams – this had been the top of the list.

Brie nudged him in the side and discretely pointed over at Tessa. He looked up at her over Stephanie's shoulder and smiled at Tessa before sending her a thumbs up. Tessa returned the gesture and knew that that was going to be all the encouragement she was going to be able to give.

She didn't go far – the smaller television near Gorilla was where she decided to watch the match. She wanted to be as close to the action as she possibly could.

* * *

><p>Tessa couldn't remember that last time she'd actually taken a breath – all she knew was that they had been few and far between. People had come to sit beside her but at that point she couldn't have told you who they were.<p>

The tears had been kept at bay until Randy Orton was hit with a Batista Bomb and then Daniel Bryan came out of nowhere with the running high knee and applied the LeBell Lock – or the 'Yes-Lock' as it had been redubbed. Everyone knew that it had to be the end – Orton had been knocked out of the picture and Batista was worn out. All three of them were worn out.

The cheers backstage were contagious – not one person in the area wasn't on their feet with their hands in the cheer, shouting about the result. Tessa was amongst them, jumping up and down, being hoisted into the air by whoever came close to her, all the while crying tears of joy and pride.

A hand on her back guided her to the stairs and she looked back to see Claudio winking at her happily. She, Claudio, Colby, Rami and Jon were all standing there waiting for the new Champion to walk through the curtain. Other people were hanging back apparently seeing it as a moment for Bryan's oldest friends to celebrate his accomplishment. A crying Brie appeared beside Tessa, the latter sticking her tongue out at Jon as he laughed at the two of them.

When Bryan Danielson finally walked backstage after his in ring celebration, Brie ran forward, jumping at him and kissing him repeatedly, and the others clapped as loudly as they could. He was the clearest sign they had of changing times within the company – Daniel Bryan was the key to unlocking the future, to allowing the rise of the Independent Wrestler.

Tessa hadn't stopped crying, the tears only got heavier as Bryan pulled her into a tight hug that quickly came to involve everyone else.

"I am so proud of you," she whispered into his ear. "This is just the beginning, Bry."

The group disbanded when Vince McMahon walked towards them.

Tessa knew that she had to have a shower and change out of her ring gear so she headed back towards the Divas locker room. When she was walking she sensed that someone was following her so she looked over her shoulder. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that it was Rami.

"I just wanted to tell you that your match was really good," he said slowly, stopping a few feet away from her. "And to ask if you were going to be okay."

"Thank you," she said, closing her eyes briefly and smiling. She could feel that her cheeks had started to heat up. "Because of the crying? Or did I look like I took some nasty bumps during the match?"

Rami laughed at how oblivious she was, "The crying, T."

"Yeah," Tessa nodded. "Excessive crying, you know that."

With a nod and a smile, Rami left her to continue to the locker room. Tessa realised that she didn't feel awkward or sick during the conversation, in fact she felt _happy_. She was sure that it was because her happiness over her and Bryan's WrestleMania victories had not yet subsided.

* * *

><p>Tessa was wandering around backstage in search of someone to talk to when she saw something that impeded on her happiness. It shouldn't have but the confusion that set in became the overbearing emotion running through her body.<p>

A quick glance around made her frown, she doubted in sight would have been able to answer the questions that she had. That left her one option. Tessa flattened down the tulle of her skirt, raised her chin, pushed her shoulders back and made her way over to Colby and the woman that he was standing with.

"Hey!" She greeted Colby enthusiastically, taking note of the way his posture stiffened. "I just wanted to say congratulations on your victory."

"Uh, yeah," Colby said, hesitating a little. "It's not that deserving of congratulations, believe me."

Tessa shrugged, raising her eyebrows. Colby took the hint and put his hand on the woman's lower back.

"Tessa, this is Leighla. Leighla, this is Tessa."

Tessa extended her hand out of habit but Colby knew her well enough to know that the introduction had shaken her. Her eyes had widened and she looked lost.

"Oh," Tessa said after a moment of silence, coming to a realisation. "Did you two get back together?"

Leighla nodded and with a laugh she explained that he had come running back to her less than two weeks after breaking up with her. Tessa didn't have it in her to ask why she had given him a second chance. She couldn't work out if Leighla knew who she was – surely Colby told her about his life. If he had neglected to reveal that part of his life someone had to have slipped up at some point.

"I know," Leighla continued speaking when Tessa failed to say anything in response, "You must think I'm crazy for taking him back."

Tessa quickly shook her head, "No, I really don't. Believe me; I know that love outweighs everything else."

Colby sent her a warning look, though she paid it no attention. She was only looking at Leighla and beginning to realise just what she had done. Who knows what would have happened if Leighla found out what she had done.

"It was really great to meet you, Leighla, but I have to go find a ride back to the hotel before I'm stranded here."

Tessa had to control the seriously dumbfounded look that was threatening to cross her face when Leighla suggested that they hang out some time – Jimmy had apparently said enough about Tessa that she knew they would get along great. She didn't – she couldn't respond.

It wasn't until she was near the car park that she saw that Claudio hadn't yet left. She had driven to the arena with him and Drew McIntyre so it only made sense that she left with them, too.

"You look worse than you did _before_ your match," he told her, using the back of his hand to check her forehead.

"I just met Leighla," she revealed and Claudio grimaced. He didn't have to know that the couple had split up because of Tessa to realise that that meeting could have ended badly. "I don't think she knows about '08. If she does then she is the most forgiving person I have ever met. Also, you suck for not telling me that she was going to be here."

"I didn't think you needed that stress today," he tried to reason with her but Tessa was still in a state of shock.

She wanted to talk about what she had done in recent months but she knew it wasn't a conversation she could have with Claudio. The only person she could think of was Jon. However, Darcy was walking around at the Hall of Fame and during the Pay Per View so that idea was quickly forgotten.

No one knew. She had kept the secret so well that four people knew what had happened – two of those were her and Colby. If she had her way that's how it would stay.

* * *

><p><strong>an Lots of love to _nmoxracha, UntilNeverDawns, deanambooty, CarolReigns, Imagineer1392, ajroleplays_ and _Straight Edge Queen_ for leaving reviews! :D**


	25. Going Back To The Start

_Going Back To The Start_

_-April 7, 2014; New Orleans, Louisiana-_

Tessa felt bad about being so happy – at least she tried to – but as soon as Eva relayed the news that AJ Lee was taking time off she had let out a small cheer. Her subsequent decision to skip around the locker room might have been seen as uncouth by some however most of the Divas laughed. Cameron even joined in.

Although she wouldn't admit it, Tessa was trying to distract herself from what was going to happen during the live show. She had completely forgotten about it until she arrived at the arena and was cornered by Billy Kidman and told that she was by no means allowed to miss the run through.

The previous 12 hours she had done nothing but think about Colby. She had ended things so she couldn't be mad at him for moving on with his life. She was mad because he had never told his girlfriend what he had done whereas Tessa had told Yujiro before they even began dating. It clicked in her mind that maybe that's what Colby wanted to talk to her about after her night out.

She was changed into more comfortable clothes – including her Dolph Ziggler shirt just to annoy Jon if she saw him – when Summer said that it was time to head out to the ring. Rami and Curt – Fandango – were already out there working through the match.

Tia's involvement would be to stop Summer Rae from interfering in the match – starting a proper alliance with Sami Zayn and a feud with Fandango and Summer.

"There they are! Looking flawless as always, girls."

"If you keep stroking my ego, Curt, I might have a different reason to fight Summer," Tessa said with a joking wink.

"We can sort that out," Curt said, before pushing Rami to the back of the ring. "Just send him back to NXT and we'll make it happen!"

"We can work that out later," Rami cut in with a small grin as he elbowed Curt in the stomach playfully. "But for now we still have a match on the show."

Tessa pouted at Curt and shrugged and he copied the actions before returning to setting up the match.

The timing wasn't hard to work out, in fact it was only five, maybe 10, minutes, before the four were walking back through the curtain in search of food.

Neither Tessa nor Rami was making much effort to talk to the other, though it didn't matter because Curt was more than happy to fend off the silence himself.

Tessa decided not to sit with Rami, Summer and Curt as they ate, instead deciding to sit with Naomi and Cameron.

"You look better today," Cameron said sincerely. Naomi pulled a face and whacked her friend's arm.

"You can't say that to people!"

"What? She does!" Cameron said, whacking her friend back before turning her attention back to Tessa. "Sorry, boo, but you haven't looked so good the last couple of weeks."

"I haven't felt so good," Tessa agreed causing a triumphant smile to cross Cameron's face. "I decided in the ring just now that I'm going to stop caring. I'm going to steer clear of the internet; I'm not going to worry about the people who don't like me."

"The internet?" Naomi asked with a light laugh. "Girl, the internet is in love with you. I get tweets asking to get you on twitter all the damn time. If I were you I'd get one because that ego boost... _Damn_."

"I wish I saw all of that because all I seem to find is people complaining that AJ needs to be champion again because apparently I haven't earned it. Doesn't matter, though, because I don't care about those people anymore."

Tessa shrugged happily before announcing that, as much as she loved her fans – there were plenty of them, she knew, but AJ's fans far outnumbered them – she was wrestling for herself. Cameron leant across the table to high five Tessa.

* * *

><p>-Live on Raw-<p>

There was no fanfare to Tia's entrance. It came after multiple attempts by Summer Rae to distract the referee or Sami Zayn, but most people didn't even know she was there until she was standing right beside Summer.

"Hey," Tia smiled, "How's it going?"

"What do you want?"

"I just came out for a little chat," she said, adjusting the championship on her shoulder.

In the ring, Fandango hit Zayn with a Russian legsweep prompting Summer to bounce up and down and cheer. Tia watched her with a bemused smile which drew Summer back to their conversation.

"I don't want to talk to you," she said coldly. "I'm watching my Fandango."

Tia put her hands up to show her innocence and said calmly, "By all means, watch. I'll watch as well."

Summer barely moved for the rest of the match, all too aware of the Divas Champion standing right beside her. It was when Zayn was going for the pin that she felt it necessary to intervene.

She took one step forward and Tia, in a rare show of unsportsmanlike behaviour, grabbed a handful of blonde hair and hauled Summer back.

"I really like this colour," Tia commented, pulling Summer's head beside hers. "What would I look like as a blonde? Not good, I don't think. Oh!" she gasped. "What do you know? The match is over!"

Tia let go, shaking off the strands of hair that were left in between her fingers, and walked around to the stairs.

Sami Zayn, before the referee could even hold up his hand, walked to the ropes and sat on the middle one, making it easier for Tia to enter the ring, even holding the Divas Championship for her as she did so.

After handing back the title, Sami Zayn allowed his hand to be pulled into the air to show his victory, but Tia stood back and clapped with a smile pulling at her lips. He turned around and motioned for her to move closer to him. She took a few small steps and squeaked when Sami reached out for her wrist, lifting it into the air.

Fandango and Summer Rae were walking backwards up the ramp; both of them seething as they watched Sami Zayn and Tia in the centre of the ring with their arms raised high. Tia lifted the Divas Championship up to while Zayn used his free hands to make the all-too-familiar _'That belt is mine' _motion.

The crowd was cheering and Tia dropped down into a curtsey. Sami let go of her wrist, look at her curiously before he leant forward in a bow.

* * *

><p>-Off Air-<p>

"That's the second conversation you've had with him today!"

Tessa grimaced – Nikki had snuck up behind her and shouted into her ear. She was referring to Rami, of course, as she had no doubt seen the four of them talking after they returned backstage.

"That's the second time we've listened to Fandango talk about something together," Tessa corrected, turning her head slightly to look at Nikki.

Nikki sighed, "What are you good for? You haven't got _any_ gossip for me?"

"Um," Tessa paused to think. "Summer slept with Chuck Taylor last week."

"What?" Nikki asked, totally perplexed. "How do they even _know_ each other?"

"I introduced him so he wouldn't tell Jimmy where I was," Tessa answered solemnly, pushing her hands into the pockets of her shorts. Nikki laughed.

"Are you kidding me? You just whored out Summer Rae!" she exclaimed, looking positively amused by the idea.

"Don't say it like that!" Tessa whined as they walked into the empty locker room. "I didn't think she would sleep with him! I also didn't think she'd be talking about it so much! If I have to hear any more about Dustin freaking Howard I'm going to 'accidentally' leave her behind."

It was true. Apparently they 'connected' - Summer had used that word in every conversation they'd had in the past 4 days. Hearing about Chuck Taylor's sex life was on par with hearing about her brothers' – the less she knew the better – and Tessa had taken to tuning out most of Summer's talking whenever he was brought up. It was difficult, though, because on more than one occasion she had been caught out when Summer abruptly changed topic.

"Are you heading out?" Nikki asked, noticing that Tessa was gathering her belongings.

"Yeah, we're gonna go get some much needed shut eye and head off early tomorrow morning."

"Make sure she actually makes it, okay? The last thing any of us want is to pick her up off the side of the road in buttfuck nowhere Louisiana."

Tessa promised that she wouldn't leave Summer stranded and Nikki helped her pull her suitcases to their car. They were walking back into the arena when Tessa spotted Colby, dressed in his Shield riot gear, turning a corner. She told Nikki that she'd catch up with her in the morning and followed Colby.

"Colby!" She called out, grabbing his attention. He didn't say anything as he turned around, just tipped his head forward.

"I actually wanted to talk to you – about last night?"

"What about it?" He asked, trying to sound oblivious. She knew him too well.

"Is that what you wanted to talk about last week? That you were bringing her?"

He nodded, "That's why I stopped you. Then I didn't know what the hell I wanted to say so I -"

"Asked about Rami instead," Tessa finished the sentence slowly but surely. "She's lovely; I can see why you went back to her. She deserves to know, though. Whether you tell her what happened before you met or what's happened in the past few months... It's not healthy to keep secrets."

"You should take your own advice," Colby told her coldly. "You don't plan on telling him but you're working together... He's going to know that something's up."

Tessa's mouth pulled into a straight line. It was the truth and she knew it. It was why she had decided to actually end their affair in the first place. Rami might not have known in the past but he probably had the signs engrained into his head after he found out.

"Fine," she sighed. "I'll stop telling you how to do things and you can do the same for me. We can go back to that agreement we had at the beginning of the year."

"You really want that?"

Tessa shook her head sadly, "Of course I don't. You're my friend, first and foremost. I wouldn't be who I am today if I hadn't met you forever ago. But that doesn't change what we got ourselves into. I meant what I said, Colby. I could never regret you."

He wiped his hand down his face and smiled at her, breathing out a laugh.

"I love you, Tessy."

Tessa nodded and smiled back at him.

"I love you, too."

* * *

><p><em>-Main Event, April 8-<em>

_Nikki Bella got another shot at Tia tonight but she was unsuccessful. It wasn't a particularly long match but it was long enough to tell the story that is the end of Nikki's chance at the Divas Championship (but with WWE's booking that's likely to change in a week). Tia brought out the Berzerker Drop during the match (for those of you who know June Jacobs, you know what I'm talking about) and that combined with the Gory Bomb ensured the victory._

* * *

><p><strong>an We are pretending for this story that the Marine 4 does not exist and that Summer Rae never took time off to film it.**

**Thanks go out to _Imagineer1392, CarolReigns, UntilNeverDawns, AeonBlue, ajroleplays, Straight Edge Queen_ and the evidently frustrated Guest!**

**The next update is going to take a little while because I need to actually get stuck into writing Christmas one shots or they'll end up being Valentine's Day fics. You can still get your requests in, just check out my page!**


	26. Good At Running Away

_Good at Running Away_

-April 11, 2014; Sedona, Arizona-

"This is probably the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to," Tessa said to Claudio as they walked towards into the reception room together. He had, just like at the Hall of Fame, become her impromptu date and she had been following him around since the ceremony.

"I can't say that I disagree."

Tessa, as she always did, held onto his bicep as they walked through the doors. She smiled at the simple decor and the beautiful flowers knowing that Brie had spent a lot of time working on every detail.

"I guess this is where we part," she smiled, looking down at the name tags on the table nearest the door. "I am needed over on the single ladies' table."

"Yeah, I think I'm expected at the bachelor's table over there," Claudio pointed to the other side of the room. "You're going to be okay?"

"Summer and I will have heaps of fun," she assured him, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Thank you for keeping me company."

He smiled at her, "It's good to have you back, June."

Tessa walked over to Summer who was sitting alone at a table set for 6 people. Before sitting down beside the blonde, Tessa did a quick, discrete, lap of the table and made a face to Summer when she didn't recognise any of the names.

"Are you looking to hook up tonight?"

"I don't think there are many single people here at all," Summer answered, sounding slightly disappointed. "No wonder Nikki gets so upset about John not wanting to get married – when almost literally everyone else here is."

Tessa was only seconds away from asking, in jest, how Chuck would feel if Summer hooked up with anybody else but was quick to remind herself that that was not a topic she wanted to get on to.

They introduced themselves to Brie's other single friends but it wasn't long before they were immersed in their own conversation about their future storyline. At Extreme Rules Summer Rae would be getting a Divas title shot. To make it appropriate for the Extreme Rules card, Tamina, too, would be getting a shot. It didn't worry Tessa at all to be involved in a three-way match – in Japan's Ice Ribbon she had been Triangle Ribbon Champion, a belt that was only contested in three-way matches – but Summer was nervous, so Tessa spent a lot of time ensuring her that it would be okay.

While she was doing that, though, Tessa couldn't help but notice how much time Rami was spending talking with the band. She wouldn't have thought anything of it had it not been for most of the evening. No matter how much he loved music, the amount of time he had spent talking quietly with them between sets was more than enough to draw her attention.

* * *

><p>"You want to dance?"<p>

"A dance with the Champ? Of course," Tessa grinned up at Bryan who was holding his hand out to her. She took it and stood up, letting the groom guide her to the dance floor. "I'm so proud of you. How many times have you pinched yourself today? This week?"

"I haven't stopped," he said with a light laugh, taking her to the centre of the dance floor. They stood beside Brie and John Cena, and Bryan held onto her waist with one hand and used his other to hold her hand out. Tessa laughed at the awkward way he did so.

The song they danced to was neither slow nor fast, good for Bryan to dance in as silly a manner as possible. It was something she had come to expect for him, Bryan's dancing method was only to be as silly as possible so that no one knew that he had two left feet. For such a great professional wrestler he was a very uncoordinated man.

"If I'd been facing Brie," Tessa said during a break in the music, "I would have let her go over. Just so you two could rule together."

Bryan laughed, "You're one of a kind, aren't you, Tessa?"

"I try," Tessa smiled. It didn't matter if she was joking or not – she didn't even know – she just wanted to make sure that Bryan and Brie were happy and Bryan recognised it. "Thank you for, um, forgiving me? I guess? For being my friend again."

"I taught you how to do a proper surfboard, of course I'm your friend."

"You're my friend because back in 2005 – maybe even 2006 – you showed me a surfboard," Tessa laughed rather loudly. "Why does anyone ever say anything back about wrestling?"

In the past few weeks, since she started talking to Claudio again, she had really begun to feel at home in the WWE. The perfect mix of old friends and new was making her feel comfortable and welcomed, something she hadn't expected to feel after only a few months.

"Can I cut in?"

Tessa looked at Bryan with pleading eyes, hoping that he would sense her apprehension. His eyes showed he understood but he nodded nonetheless.

"Sure, man."

Bryan held Tessa's hand out to Rami. The second they touched Tessa closed her eyes and all her breath left her. Rami moved her hand to his shoulder and she shifted to rest on the back of his neck. Her other hand rested on his other shoulder, before she dropped her head onto it –facing away from him.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked quietly as Rami's arms settled around her waist. "This isn't fair."

He didn't say anything, just rested his check on the back of her head.

Tessa swallowed the lump that formed in her throat but another immediately took its place. She kept her eyes closed and tried to fight back the forming tears. As much as it was paining her to be as close to Rami as she was, Tessa never wanted him to let go. For the first time since she left she felt safe – she felt at home.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. She hadn't intended for him to hear her but when he nuzzled his head closer to hers she knew that he had.

Tessa, as soon as the song finished, lifted her head and stepped away. She felt Rami's arms drop from around her waist only to catch her wrist as she tried to leave.

"T-"

"I can't," she shook her head, keeping her back to him, causing her hair to fall in her face. She didn't bother to push it away; it was going to hide the heartache on her face. She pleaded with him, "Please."

He let go of her hand and she all but ran out of the building, turning a couple of corners so that she was out of everybody's sight. She sat down on a wooden bench, her hands on either side of her face as she tried to work out what has just happened.

"_Holy shit_, Tessa! You two look like you've been together for years!"

Tessa didn't look up when Summer appeared, sitting down beside her, only concentrating on her quivering lip.

"I can't do this," Tessa said with a sniffle. "I can't do this storyline with him. Not if I have to get close to him. I can't do it."

"Don't be silly," Summer chastised, turning to face Tessa properly. Tessa sighed and shrugged hopelessly. "If anything the chemistry between you two is going to make for _great_ television."

"It's going to suck so bad."

"You should know by now that this business is filled with stuff that sucks so bad. Fandango's dancing, for example."

Tessa laughed despite herself and allowed Summer to pull her to her feet. They hugged before Summer directed her back into the building and told her that it wasn't something that should be getting her down.

Tessa made a beeline for Claudio and whacked his shoulder forcefully when she was beside him.

"What was that for?"

"You've all been conspiring against me!"

In between Rami talking to the band, he had been talking quietly to Bryan and Claudio – it didn't take much for her to decipher that they had been working together.

Claudio's shocked expression made her huff and pout.

"_Why?_" she asked with a small stomp of her foot. "That's so unfair."

"Because he wants to talk to you."

"I've been talking to him!" Tessa argued, her voice rising. "We talked twice on Monday and at Mania."

"But are you going to talk to him about what happened?"

"He slammed a door in my face," she all but spat at him. "And this is a _wedding_ that is being _filmed_ by people in cahoots with our _bosses_."

"If you're implying that you could have caused a scene – you two are the most passive people I've met. It was never going to end that way."

"He slammed a door in my face," she said again, it was a pathetic excuse and she was very aware of it. Her voice was soft and her head hanging. It was the only excuse she had.

Claudio sighed at her, "And that's the worst of it, Tessa. You need to forgive yourself."

Tessa hesitated, looked at him like she wanted to say something only to look at the ground and walk off slowly. She walked back to her seat and sat down in silence. When Nikki began walking towards her she tried to put on a convincing smile, it was clear that Nikki didn't buy it.

"You don't look like you're having too much fun."

"It completely slipped my mind that Bryan would have invited Rami," Tessa said with a sigh. "But I'm fine, really. What about you? Stressed out of your mind?"

"It's a lot less stressful now that it's happening, believe me," Nikki told her. "Everything has gone pretty flawlessly so that's all we could hope for."

"I'm glad to hear it." Tessa managed a genuine smile, happy to hear that the day was going as Brie had planned.

* * *

><p>Tessa and Summer had decided to share a hotel room that night so that they could get a proper night's sleep before flying to Texas for a house show in Hidalgo.<p>

"I really want to get married – like, tomorrow," Tessa said as they walked into their hotel room.

"Tell me about it! How gorgeous did she look and they were both so happy! Screw them, though, happily married and I can't get a guy to go on more than one date with me."

"I'll regret asking this but what happened to Chuck?"

"I think I got a bit too ahead of myself," Summer admitted sheepishly. "He's fantastic and all but my work schedule is dumb and his is also dumb and-"

"Who wants a relationship based on dumb?" Tessa finished after Summer paused to think. "I can't say that I'm not totally relieved. I love Chuck but not enough to have to hear you talk about him all the time."

Summer scoffed and launched a pillow at Tessa's head while her back was turned. It collided firmly, the surprise causing Tessa to lose her balance momentarily. She reached down to pick up the pillow and promptly threw it directly back at Summer who caught it and re-aimed.

A somewhat viscous game of catch started with each woman trying to one up the other with every throw, frequently causing each other to lose balance and let out some high pitched squeals when they felt like they were about to be hit directly in the face.

"Did you ever hear from Jimmy?" Summer asked, catching the pillow.

Tessa ducked as she answered, "He never called. This is probably a situation where I'm supposed to call him but why would I take that initiative?"

"I don't know why you're doing this to yourself," Summer said as she watched Tessa reach down to pick up their weapon but instead of throwing it again, she held it against her chest.

"Bummer," Tessa pouted. "I was hoping that you could explain it to me because I have no clue either."

"He doesn't hate you, you know?" Summer sat down cross-legged on the bed and smiled at Tessa. "Sami, that is. He's always happy to see you and he said that you looked really pretty today."

Tessa felt herself blush and she couldn't help but smile. She looked up at her friend and inhaled deeply.

"I want to," she said slowly. "I can't even begin to explain how badly I want to fix things but I _am_ worried that he doesn't hate me. If he doesn't hate me then why did I leave? I really don't want to know that it was all for nought. Does that make sense?"

Summer nodded with a sigh. She reached out to Tessa who also reached out, letting her hand be squeezed by her friend.

"What're we going to do with you, T?"

* * *

><p><strong>an guys, writing is hard. Finding inspiration is hard but I'm doing my best and everyone who leaves feedback or even just alerts my stories helps me a lot. Thank you so much to _bella315, CarolReigns, Imagineer1392, AeonBlue, UntilNeverDawns, ajroleplays, Straight Edge Queen_ and _deanambooty _for taking the time to review.  
><strong>


	27. I'm Forever Missing Him

_I'm Forever Missing Him_

_-April 13, 2014; Chattanooga, Tennessee-_

Tessa was beginning to like house shows a little more than televised events. They allowed for more freedom, Tessa found, as well as more creativity and more stupidity. They were more fun and less stressful. That was until she found out that she was going to be competing in a dance-off.

"Why do we even have to do it? People hate you two enough that we can go out there, do a quick little shimmy and we'll have it won."

"It's just some fun," Summer argued. "I get to go make a dick of myself and you-"

"Get to the do the exact same thing," Tessa said pointedly, remaining expressionless. "I can't dance to save myself."

"We've discussed my lack of dancing ability before."

"But you don't _care_. Summer, I care a lot about people seeing me dance in any other manner than slow."

"Then go out there, show people that you don't want to and they'll love you even more!" Eva exclaimed loudly. Tessa turned to her and glared at the traitorous response.

No matter what her friends were saying, nothing was going to make her happy about the situation. She would rather _lose_ a thirty second match than go out in front of thousands of people and pretend she was born with rhythm. It didn't help that Rami didn't embarrass easily and that he actually possessed the ability to move his body in time to music.

The entire walk to Gorilla was filled with Summer dancing around Tessa, trying to make her loosen up and get her into the mood for dancing. With zero facial expression, Tessa pretended that the blonde wasn't even there.

* * *

><p><em>-Live in Chattanooga-<em>

Sami Zayn was making his way to the ring, his music having just cut off Fandango's entrance. He was promptly handed a microphone as he entered the ring.

"I haven't been here too long," Sami said, "but I must say that of all the people I have been around in the past few weeks you're probably the most annoying."

"You're just jealous, Sami Zayn, that you can't dance as well as I can!"

"Are you sure about that? Because literally everyone thinks that you are the worst dancer in the history of dancers."

"How dare you!" Fandango growled, his face contorting in anger.

"You don't believe me?" Sami asked, laughing, "We can always let the lovely people of Chattanooga, Tennessee, decide. I'm going to need some help, though. You've got Summer over there so it's only fair that I have myself a partner, too, right?"

The crowd cheered, all of them having an idea of who was going to come out and help Sami. They had to wait the customary few seconds before the music played through the arena but when it did the crowd rose to their feet.

**_She barely knew your name._**

Tia looked shocked and very reluctant as she walked to the ring. She didn't even stop to put up a peace sign to the crowd, instead just walking to the ring, dressed in her ring gear and looking very hesitant.

"Hey, uh, hi," she muttered to Sami, her voice being picked up by the microphone he was holding up to his chest. "I agreed to help you out in a wrestling match not a dance-off."

"Come on, it'll be fun," he encouraged.

Tia shrugged her shoulders but couldn't say anything else as Fandango's music started up and he span Summer Rae so that she was basically standing on top of them. Sami moved them out of the way, his hands on Tia's shoulders as he tried to warm her up to the idea.

Despite her reservations about the dancing, Tia couldn't help but laugh at Fandango and Summer. Both of them were very into what they were doing and taking the contest very seriously. Though it didn't matter how hard they were trying because the crowd were not at all impressed and had begun jeering as soon as the music had started.

The boos only got louder when they finished their dance but Fandango bowed nonetheless and acted as though he was receiving nothing but praise. He and Summer stepped to the side, cruel smiles on their faces as they waited for Sami and Tia to step up.

Sami held his arm out, gesturing for Tia to walk forward first and she did so slowly, looking back over her shoulder to make sure that he followed. His music started to play he wasted no time in jumping about similarly to how he did when he was making his way to the ring.

He took hold of Tia's hands and pulled them back and forth in an attempt to get her to actually move. She shook her head vehemently at him and even tried to tug her arms out of his grasp before her head started to bop to the beat of the music.

Sami's face lit up when he noticed that she was moving with him and the crowd started to chant her name. The reaction she was getting didn't help her loosen up at all; in fact it only reminded her that there were _people watching her_.

"Come on, T!" Sami encouraged, still smiling at her. She looked up at him helplessly before sighing and kicking her legs with his – when his leg went forward, hers would go back and vice-versa. Sami then let go of her hands and he started to dance around the ring while Tia remained in the one place and danced lamely by herself.

The music stopped and Tia immediately froze in place, her cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson.

"If you really think you're going to dance with _that_ then you must be crazy," Fandango said into a microphone. "We don't even need a vote; clearly we were the better dancers."

"That's not how this works," Sami held a microphone to his mouths. "The lovely people of this crowd get to decide who won. So, let me hear if you think that Fandango and Summer Rae were the best." The crowd mostly booed, with a few people cheering. "Okay, what about me and Tia?"

Tia hid her face behind her hands as everyone cheered for them.

"There you have it!" Sami exclaimed happily, putting the microphone back onto the mat before standing beside Tia, taking her hand and bowing forward. Tia curtsied, an embarrassed smile firmly on her face.

* * *

><p>"No, I am dead serious when I say that that is the first and last time we-"<p>

Tessa stopped mid-sentence when she looked at her phone and saw that she had 8 missed calls from Hailey, all in the past 15 minutes. She didn't even think to excuse herself as her heartbeat began to quicken and her palms began to sweat.

"Is everything okay?" she asked the second Hailey had answered. "What's happened?"

"Tessa I am _so_ sorry!" the teenager said, sounding breathless and panicked. "I don't know what I did wrong!"

Across the room, Summer and Eva were watching their friend curiously, trying to work out what had happened to have her so worried so suddenly. All colour had drained from her face.

"Hailey," Tessa said, taking a deep breath, "calm down and just tell me what's happened."

"Please don't be mad! It was an accident!"

"I'm not going to be mad," she said assuredly, anger wasn't at all close to the emotion she was feeling, "just _please _tell me what happened."

Hailey breathed in deeply, "I mean, I came into feed them and they were _dead_! I cleaned them every week like you said and fed them how much you said to and I just-"

"_Oh thank God!_" Tessa exclaimed, relief flooding her body. Summer's eyes widened at the sudden change in Tessa's emotions.

"Thank god?" she asked Eva quietly, wondering if she'd heard correctly.

"It's just my fish. Hailey, calm down, it's just my fish," Tessa said, her heartbeat slowing down and her breathing slowly returning to normal. "Don't worry about it at all, okay? They're just fish. I thought you'd burnt the house to the ground."

Tessa sat down on a folding chair and began to relax as Hailey began to apologise profusely for worrying her so much. They discussed what to do with the fish – flush them down the toilet, empty the tank and they would deal with the rest when Tessa got home – while Eva and Summer laughed to themselves across the room. Apparently Tessa's panicked face was quiet funny.

"You're allergic to fish, aren't you? How did you manage to get them and clean the tank."

"I don't touch them or the water or the tank, even, Hailey does that for me. They're barely even my fish," Tessa shrugged. "I just liked having them around."

"Oh, by the way, I totally understand why you didn't want to dance in front of everyone," Summer commented, smirking when Tessa looked at her with a dropped jaw.

"Rude!" Tessa shouted, looking around for something to throw. She picked up a pair of socks and threw them at Summer, hitting her in the chest. "If you didn't notice, _I _won!"

"They felt bad for you!" Summer laughed, throwing the socks back.

Tessa, unable to think of a witty response, poked her tongue out childishly. Summer mimicked her instantly.

* * *

><p><em>-April 14, 2014; Birmingham, Alabama-<em>

Death always hit her hard. She hadn't experienced much of it personally but the deaths of celebrities were difficult to her, she even struggled with death in films. The deaths of her favourite wrestlers were the worst. She couldn't count the number of times she had cried after hearing someone had passed away and then again watching a tribute show.

Just days after meeting him and fulfilling a childhood dream, news had circulated about the death of The Ultimate Warrior. Tessa had cried for nearly half an hour when she heard before life got busy, for which she was grateful, and she hadn't been left alone with her thoughts long enough for another wave of tears.

During the car ride from Chattanooga she, Summer and Eva had tried their hardest to push the thought of a Tribute Show out of their minds. Anything from blasting 90s pop to telling each other horrible stories about high school had been used to combat their sadness. None of that mattered, though, because the atmosphere backstage reminded them instantly that the night was not going to be an overly happy one.

Tessa and Nattie were the last two Divas in the locker room. The others had all began the walk to Gorilla, leaving the former friends alone as they did one last final check of their ring gear.

"Hey," Tessa said somewhat sadly when Nattie looked up from tightening her laces. "Are you going to be okay?"

Nattie's face clearly showed that she was surprised, her eyebrows knitted together and her mouth slightly ajar. It took her only a moment to realise that she should response and she relaxed her face, nodding at Tessa.

"I think so," she answered slowly. "Are you?"

"I'm, uh, hoping that I've cried enough already and that there aren't any tears left."

Nattie nodded again and turned to leave the room. Tessa looked back down to tug at the tongue of her boots but when she looked back up, she realised that Nattie had stopped and was waiting for her. She stood up, smoothing out the Ultimate Warrior shirt that she was wearing, and followed Nattie from the room.

"I am happy that you're here. I know I haven't exactly been the nicest person but I am really happy and proud of you for making it here."

Tessa, noticing that Nattie was talking just to stop herself from crying, stopped them in the middle of the hallway and pulled the blonde in for a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered, not far from crying herself, "that means a lot."

They parted ways as they walked closer to Gorilla where the Superstars and Divas were waiting to be called through the curtain and onto the stage. She didn't seek anyone out, though plenty of people were taking quick glances at her, probably taking note of the way she was biting down on her bottom lip.

As people started making their way onto the stage, Tessa stood back so that she was one of the last people to walk through. It meant that she would be hidden at the back of the group and out of sight.

The first bell rang and Tessa felt a hand grasp hers, squeezing it tightly. She knew who was standing around her and it took no time at all for her to realise that it was Rami holding her hand. She squeezed back as a tear slid down her cheek.

A moment of silence was held after the ten bell salute – even if a few people in the crowd didn't realise – and when it was over, a 'Warrior' chant broke out. The Superstars and Divas joined in, raising their fists with the crowd as they chanted for their deceased idol. Tessa took part but she could hardly be understood under her sobs.

Rami let her hand go as people began to move, however he stayed close behind her as they all walked back through the curtain and out of the WWE Universe's eye. She immediately began to walk towards make-up knowing that she was in desperate need of a touch up after she'd been wiping tears from underneath her eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>an thanks to _Gu__est, CarolReigns, UntilNeverDawns, naive melody, punkydiva17, Guest, bella515, mscalliope, Imagineer1392, Guest, ajroleplays, AeonBlue, Straight Edge Queen_ and _Guest_ for reviewing. That's 14 reviews! :D I love you all so much!**

**Time is almost up to get a Christmas one shot! I'll start posting them around the 15th!**


	28. It's Time I Swallowed My Pride

_It's Time I Swallowed My Pride _

-April 16, 2014; Flint, Michigan-

Tessa rarely forgot feelings. She would never forget how relieved she felt when she got her college acceptance letter, how elated she felt when she got her degree or how nervous she felt getting on a plane to Japan with no intentions of coming back. So when she heard the loud crash that accompanied a sudden lurch forward and her inability to regain control of the steering wheel she was instantly reminded of how terrified she had been when, in 2006, her brother had accidentally run them off the road during an Ohio snowstorm.

She couldn't do anything but watch as her car careened straight into a tree on the side of the road. The sound was horrendous and it would be forever in her memory. The front windshield cracked, lines like spider webs running through every inch, and the car began to smoke from under the hood.

Tessa unclenched her fists from the steering wheel and opened her door without hesitation, only turning back to turn off the car's engine. Nowhere could she see any sign of the person who had hit her, though they had been going so fast that there car had to have sustained some damage that would prevent them from going too far.

Multiple cars had stopped for her and people were coming from multiple directions to ask if she was okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told a man who looked a little shocked but didn't stop to talk to her any more, instead heading straight for the front of the car to check if they were in any danger of it exploding.

All of the questions being thrown at her only highlighted how little she felt. It was adrenaline and she knew that once it had worn off she would be feeling the whiplash she was sure to have gotten and no doubt she would have bruises in multiple places.

Upon being told that she would have to go to the hospital, Tessa sighed and felt a tightening sensation in her chest before she agreed that it was probably best to make sure that she hadn't broken a rib. Before she could get in the ambulance, though, she had to make a police report with the aid of some witnesses.

* * *

><p>"Did you have anybody to call?"<p>

"Yeah," Tessa said slowly, "My brother."

She had been thinking about since the ambulance was called. Someone had to know that she had been in accident and that someone needed to at least be in Michigan. Tessa asked the Paramedic to make the call because she knew that she wouldn't have been able to say much if she did it herself.

"Jimmy said that he's leaving now and that he'll see you at the hospital."

Tessa tried to nod but her neck wouldn't allow it so she opted for a quiet, "Okay."

It was on the way to the hospital that the adrenaline wore off and she began to feel the full extent of her injuries. As expected, whiplash was making it difficult to move her neck and taking deep breaths was getting more and more difficult as a result of the seatbelt locking to keep her against the seat. That she couldn't really complain about as it had probably saved her life.

For the next two hours Tessa was subject to blood tests – to further solidify that alcohol hadn't been a factor in the crash – and x-rays as well as excessive questioning from nurses and doctors alike. She was glad for the distraction, though, because while she was answering the questions she wasn't thinking about the impending arrival of her brother and the inevitable conversation they were going to have.

She wasn't paying attention when he walked through the door but she felt the bed move slightly she looked to the end of it to find Jimmy Jacobs kicking it, looking equally amused and concerned.

"I know that you haven't exactly been driving long but you're supposed to stay on the road."

"I remember there being a time when you had a lot of trouble with that," she retorted quickly.

"Every family has its curse. Ours must involve cars. Now shove."

Tessa, with a lot of effort, moved over a couple inches on the bed and let her brother sit down at her feet. He looked at her and noticed the shallowness of her breathing.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Something else begins to hurt every few minutes and my chest is hurting like mad," she told him, her shoulders lifting half an inch as she tried to shrug. "I can't exactly breathe properly."

"Christ, June," Jimmy sighed, frowning at her.

"I'm fine," she told him quickly, pushing herself up so she was sitting properly. "Totally fine. I'll be back at work next week." The grimace on her face betrayed her.

"Don't push it."

"I'm not!" she defended, trying to hide the pain that accompanied raising her voice. "Nothing's broken. I have a few bruises but we can work them into a storyline."

He didn't believe her, no one would have, but he didn't argue with her any further. Tessa huffed as well as she could – she knew what was best for her, if she didn't think she could go back she wouldn't but the thought of getting back to work as soon as possible was what was keeping her from bursting into tears.

"Did I stop you from going to a show today?" she asked in an upbeat voice, trying to distract both of them.

"No," he shook his head. "It's Wednesday. I did an IWR show last weekend and I have an Honor show this weekend."

"Oh," Tessa muttered, taking a moment to remember the IWR shows she had been to way back when as well as her time in Ring of Honor. She then continued on with her original train of thought, "So, you dress like that all the time?"

Jimmy looked down at his clothes with a frown, "What's wrong with this?"

"Everything," she said with a brief laugh. "Jimmy, you look like you robbed someone from Saturday Night Fever."

"Says little miss high-neck, drab-colours over here."

Tessa looked down at her clothes and realised that she was wearing the hospital gown and he must have been referring to what she wore on television.

"People don't make fun of you?" The question was asked in a quiet voice as Tessa knew that she was heading into dangerous territory – she wasn't looking to start a fight, she was merely curious, but there was every possibility that it could end up that way.

"I don't know," he shrugged at her, "probably."

"You're 30 years old."

"And?"

"Act like it? Maybe?" She suggested only to have him screw his face up as he stood off the bed.

"You used to be fun," he said to her pointedly. "You used to like that I wore unusual things."

"I don't think I can be normal for the both of us. Back then we were a balancing act but now you've turned it up to eleven and-"

"Hey, June," Jimmy cut her off, "I don't give a fuck."

Tessa's mouth shut quickly and her gaze drifted from Jimmy's outfit to her hands in her lap. As much as she had wanted to be _just like him_ growing up there were some things about him that she had never been able to wrap her head around.

"I'm sorry," she apologised in a mutter. "I just I don't get how you're okay with standing out all the time. I never have. Don't you want to blend in sometimes?"

The answer, unsurprisingly, was that he found nothing enjoyable about blending in.

* * *

><p>Jimmy was driving her back to her house not long after. She had been discharged with some pain killers and a note from the doctor saying that she was not to set foot in a wrestling ring for at least a week. If it had been a physical note she would have done everything she could do hide it from her employers but the phone call to Vince McMahon himself was not something she could erase.<p>

"Who have you told?" she asked Jimmy as he helped her inside. "Because I know you didn't drive two hours without getting on your phone at least once."

"I called Shelley to ask if anything had happened to you while you were in Japan, just in case someone started asking questions I didn't have answer to. I called mum and dad to let them know that their daughter was in a hospital bed. Then I called Generico and asked him to let someone in charge know what had happened."

Tessa frowned, "Why does everybody have to call Rami?"

Alex she understood to a certain extent even though she had been awake the entire time and was able to answer the questions herself and there was no way that Jimmy was going to come get her without letting her parents know. _But Rami_.

"Because you're working together and he deserves to know that the storyline could be paused or even completely stopped-"

"I told you I'm going back to work next week."

Tessa sat down on her couch and waited for a response that never came. Jimmy headed straight to the kitchen and started rummaging through her cupboards, complaining about the lack of food. She had been on her way to the store when she was driven off the road, she explained.

Jimmy sat on the couch with her after heating up some tomato soup for her to eat and some pain killers to take and she started to stare at him.

"What?"

"Are you going to talk about it?"

"About?"

"The thing I did."

"Now isn't the time to talk about it, June," he said casually. "We can talk about it when you're feeling better."

"I'm feeling fine," she persisted. "Please, can we just do this?"

He groaned at her but turned his body to face her. The suddenly serious look on his face made Tessa instantly regret even bringing it up.

"Do you think this is going to be over with one conversation? June, you cheated on my friend with my other friend and our boss and then you fucked off to Japan for five years without a word to anybody-" He paused instantly when he noticed _something_ flicker across his sister face. "-what, you told someone?"

"No," Tessa answered simply, hoping that she was able to hide it well enough. Though, he was her brother and he knew her a lot better than she remembered.

"Who?"

Tessa sighed, "Rami knew. He was there when I got the call. We went to see Bolshoi when we had the Ring of Honor shows in Japan."

Jimmy frowned and asked, in a hurt voice, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wasn't going to take it."

"What do you mean you weren't going to take it?" he asked, dumbfounded that she would even say something like that. "It's _Japan_, June."

There was a moment of hesitation and Tessa's knee began to bounce. She had been thinking about Jimmy's response to this information since she was offered the job and so far he had met all of her expectations. She didn't want him to meet the next one.

"I didn't want to leave him."

His eyes widened and he stared at her for nearly a minute, clearly trying to work out if he had heard her correctly. Tessa looked away from him.

"You were going to turn down _Japan_ for Generico?"

"I knew you'd act like this. It's why I didn't tell you."

"You were going to turn down Japan for the guy you had been cheating on?" He asked, completely exasperated. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed, "I don't even know who you are."

"I'm still June," Tessa said quickly, leaning towards him to grab his arm. He leaned backwards.

"No, that's the thing – I don't know who June was. She was living a lie. Multiple lies."

"I didn't want to hurt anyone," Tessa told him, a bubble forming in her throat and tears beginning to sting her eyes. Jimmy, still staring at the ceiling, hadn't noticed.

"Look at how well that ended, huh?" He said bitterly and Tessa bit into the side of her cheek to hide the sob that was trying to get out. "You haven't spoken to your family since 2008. Mum and dad have been scouring wrestling dirt sheets relentlessly trying to keep tabs on you. I had Alex Shelley on the phone every other day just to make sure that you were still alive. You disappeared without a trace."

"I left a note with Rami. I told him that I was leaving and that I didn't know when I would be back." Her voice grew even quieter, "I guess he didn't care, huh?"

"You actually don't know anything about what went down, do you?" he asked, finally looking at her.

"Claudio told me a few things but most of the time I avoid talking about it."

"You never used to run away from your problems," Jimmy reminded her, using a much softer tone. "Why'd you run away from this?"

Tessa closed her eyes and shrugged a little, "It seemed like my only option and then when I realised that it was the wrong one... Well, I'd already done it so I stayed away because I knew that coming back was going to be hard."

Jimmy didn't know what to say so instead he reached out to take her hand.

"Do you hate me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jimmy shook his head, "No. Of course, not. I hate some of the decisions you made but I don't hate you."

"Did Colby tell you?"

"Uh, a bit but we have had enough of this conversation for today, okay?"

"I'm sorry."

"I know you are, June. I know."

* * *

><p><strong>an thanks to _ , CarolReigns, ajroleplays, Imagineer1392, AmbreignsOrton, naivemelody, Straight Edge Queen_ and _UntilNeverDawns _for leaving reviews :)  
><strong>

**Christmas one shots are closed! Like I said last chapter, I hope to start posting them on the 15th and I'll do my best to keep that promise!**


	29. The Things You Never Explained

_The Things You Never Explained_

_-April 22, 2014; Hershey, Pennsylvania-_

"Hey Joe, do you reckon I could steal Colby for a second?"

"Sure thing, Tessa. You doing okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded at him with a smile. "Just a few bruises – nothing worse than what I'd get in the ring."

Tessa had met them in the hotel lobby – well, she had sort of been waiting for him. She wanted to speak to him before they got to work in an attempt to keep her personal life as far from her professional one as possible.

"Are you allowed to be here?" He asked her, looking over her body. His eyes lingered on her chest and she knew that he wasn't being perverse. There was a bruise along her chest from the seatbelt and the dress she was wearing wasn't doing a great job at hiding it.

"How did I know that was going to be the first thing you asked?" Tessa asked quietly.

"You were in an accident less than a week ago."

"It was a minor accident," she sighed, pulling up the top of her dress to hide the bruise a bit better, "the car wasn't even written off. Besides, we're in Pennsylvania. No way was I going to miss a show in Pennsylvania."

"And? That bruise says that you shouldn't be here."

"You've wrestled with worse bruises than this," she argued before shaking her head and taking a deep breath. "I'm not here to fight with you. I just wanted to ask you a question."

He nodded, though it was evident that he didn't believe she was fit to be back on the road.

"I spent most of last week with Jimmy and he said some things, some things that Claudio has been saying and I just – I need to know how much you hated me when you found out about Gabe. When you found out that I left."

Colby's face scrunched up and Tessa looked down at the ground. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"More than I was probably entitled to," he started, looking up as he tried to figure out how to word his thoughts. "I hated that I believed we had something and then Gabe did what he did and I concluded that I was just another guy to you. I hated you for that more than anything but I guess I also hated you because I thought you were trying to sleep your way to success-"

"In a company that had pretty much zero women's division?" Tessa asked rather coldly. "He didn't exactly have much input in any other companies, Colb."

"I realised that eventually but it took awhile," he explained and Tessa sighed. "When I found out that you'd left... I was so angry at you for running away. I got really mad that you didn't try and sort it out... In saying that, though, I don't know if I would have even let you begin to explain."

Tessa nodded and sighed.

"You know that when I told you about what Gabe was doing that I wasn't making excuses. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Good. Nothing will ever excuse what I did and I know that I can never make up for it, you know? All I can do is try to not ruin anyone's life again."

It was unspoken that she meant his life and subsequently Leighla's. The way he clenched his fist assured her that he had made that connection. Tessa looked up at him with sad eyes and shrugged her shoulders a little.

"You take care of yourself, Tessy, okay?"

As Colby walked away Tessa made the decision that she had to speak to Rami that night. She had spoken to her brother about it and he had repeated almost every day that she didn't have a choice in the matter. Rami wouldn't ever force the conversation if he knew that she didn't wish to speak about it and Jimmy wasn't too shy to tell her that there was no way she could live with herself if she kept running away from it.

* * *

><p>"Tessa, I didn't know that you had been cleared to return."<p>

Turning around, Tessa took a deep breath.

"I haven't, not really," she told Paul Levesque with a half worried smile. "I was told that I can hang out. So I'm going to accompany Sami to the ring later. If I'm carrying the championship I want to remain relevant."

"That's a good idea," he nodded at her and she relaxed her smile. "Don't go hurting yourself."

"I didn't even bring my boots," Tessa said with a laugh, as the Executive Vice President of Talent was called upon by Finlay.

Tessa was lying, of course. She always brought her wrestling boots in case she was needed. If she had to she would wrestle with the seatbelt bruise running diagonally across her chest and stomach.

When she walked into the Divas locker room all of the women inside looked up at her, clearly surprised to see her.

"Surprise!" she exclaimed as Brie jumped to her feet. Tessa had to duck out of the way when Brie leaned in for a hug and pointed to the bruise when Brie frowned at her.

"_Tessa_!" Brie gasped. "You shouldn't be here!"

"Would you be shocked if I told you that you aren't the first person to say that to me?"

Brie shook her head and made Tessa sit down, despite the latter's protests. She was asked to explain what had happened in the accident and then repeatedly told that she needed to be at home resting.

After the interrogation she immediately walked to the make-up station. It was the second time in less than a month that she was going to have to cover up some bruising, though this time she wasn't too worried about people talking about the reason behind it. Her black eye had caused too many rumours about her working relationship with AJ Lee and – even if a lot of them were true – Tessa was going to be happy when people started talking about other things.

"You guys are capable of performing make-up magic, right?" Tessa asked, stepping into the designated area. "Just enough to make it not so purple?"

"We can try," one of them said unsurely. "No promises can be made, though."

Tessa smiled and sat down in the seat, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back as they started to apply numerous layers of make-up to the required areas.

At least two Divas had their make-up done while she was sitting down, neither of them attempting to start a conversation. The silence allowed her mind to wander to how on earth she was going to walk up to Rami and announce that she wanted to speak to him about the very reason she had been avoiding him since he was called up. If the beautician noticed the sudden rise in heartbeat she was kind enough to say nothing.

* * *

><p><em>-Live on Raw-<em>

Sami Zayn ran at Adam Rose who was situated in the corner and the crowd erupted. The Helluva Kick meant the match was ending; the WWE Universe had come to expect it.

Tia cheered along with the crowd and behind her so did Adam Rose's Rosebuds. For the entire match they had been mimicking her actions and she couldn't quite determine if they were making fun of her or not. If she clapped, they clapped; if she jumped up and down excitedly, they jumped up and down excitedly. It almost as if she'd managed to develop extra shadows.

Zayn pulled Rose into the middle of the ring and hooked his leg, easily getting the pin. He looked to Tia, getting ready to hold the ropes while she got into the ring but when he looked her way he noticed that she was no longer on the ground.

The men and women of Rose's travelling party had lifted Tia only their shoulders and were carrying her around the ring, dancing in time to Zayn's music. He began to laugh at the horrified look she had on her face and the desperate grip she had on her title and the bottom of her dress.

"Well, King, it looks like the Rosebuds have taken a liking to Tia!"

"Who wouldn't? She's gorgeous and you'd have to be blind and stupid to not see it!"

"Sami Zayn has certainly seen it. He's always the happiest man backstage and since Tia came along his smile has only gotten bigger."

"And I think that Tia might have to have her smile surgically removed!"

The Rosebuds walked Tia to the edge of the ring and placed her gently on the apron. She shrugged at Sami with a confused smile and he did the same back before ducking under the top rope and joining her on the apron. Sami jumped from the apron to the ground and then helped her walk down the stairs. As they walked up the ramp he put his arm over her shoulders and gave her a tight squeeze.

Both of them were smiling like love struck teenagers and those smiles were being broadcasted on the TitanTron for everyone to see.

* * *

><p><em>-Off Air-<em>

"Now that they know I can't dance I'm going to have to work with every dancing gimmick in the company aren't I? And then I'll probably be forced into becoming Fandango's new dance partner."

Rami didn't respond to her straight away and the silence between them instantly became thick. Tessa saw a look of surprise grow on his face – it was probably the first conversation she had willingly started with him since he was called up.

"You know, I remember you being quite a good dancer."

"What? No, I'm a terrible dancer."

"Yeah, you used to put on shows in that crappy Californian motel room. I remember them quite well."

Tessa gasped and stared at him wide eyed and shaking her head.

"That wasn't for an audience!"

"Come on," Rami said, extending his arms as he laughed, "I'm an audience."

Tessa looked down at the ground, hoping that he wouldn't see how red her cheeks were getting. She remembered those dances just as well as he did. There was nothing to them but a few Justin Timberlake songs and some stupid moves to make him laugh. A giggle escaped her mouth as she recalled one memory very vividly and, as if on cue, Rami burst into laughter as well.

"I'm going to ruin this," Tessa said abruptly, squaring her shoulders and raising her chin in an attempt to look confident. "I want to talk to you."

"Aren't we doing that now?" he asked, still laughing.

"An actual conversation about what happened because I owe you that much. I owe you a lot more than explanation, actually, but I don't know how to do any more than that."

Rami nodded at her slowly, having stopped laughing. He had turned just as serious as her and it upset her – she always hated it when he stopped smiling, even more so when she was the reason for it.

"Here? Now? Back at the hotel?"

Tessa thought back to what had happened when she explained herself to Colby in his hotel room and she knew that she couldn't do that again.

"If we could find somewhere quiet and do it here? I know that it's work but I want to do this before I chicken out."

* * *

><p>It was nearly the end of the show when they walked towards the end of a corridor. Tessa had given Rami time to shower and change which was good for her too because she was able to think about what exactly she wanted to say.<p>

"You don't look like you want to talk," Rami said quietly, sitting down against the wall. Tessa silently sat down against the wall opposite him. "You feeling okay?"

"Um, yeah, it's just that I've thought about having this conversation almost every day since Ring of Homicide but I still don't know where to start."

"You can just take your time."

Tessa looked across at him, though her eyes rested on his chest and not his face and asked in utter disbelief, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"What's that mean?" He asked back, sounding a little offended.

"Why aren't you mad at me? Why don't you hate me?"

"Why do you want me to be mad, T?" He moved to his knees and shuffled towards her, stopping when he was almost touching her.

"I _need_ you to be mad because if you're not mad then I moved to Japan for no reason," she said loudly and with much more force than she intended. "If you're not mad then I spent a good portion of my life avoiding _everything_ to do with you and my family-"

"I knew," he cut her off, reaching forward to hold her cheeks in his hands. "I knew that there was an explanation. It hurt me and I did hate you for a bit – a month, two tops – but when I had time to rationally think it out... T, I know you inside and out. I know that that wasn't you. I knew that there was a lot I didn't know and before I could even think about asking you, you had hopped on a plane to Tokyo to take the JWP offer, you had changed your number and you had virtually ceased to exist in the lives of everyone who has ever cared about you."

"It took less than 24 hours for me to have no work. Everyone knows that I got myself blacklisted but it didn't even take 24 hours. Even if I had stayed and we had talked it out...  
>She took a deep breath as she remembered the many phone calls. "Everyone in this industry is pigheaded and stubborn and I wouldn't have been able to get work anyway."<p>

"It wouldn't have taken long for that to change."

"How do you know that?" Tessa asked with a hopeless shrug. "How do I know that if I worked anywhere else it wouldn't have ended up like it did with Gabe? Do you think I _wanted_ to be sleeping with him? Do you think I _liked_ having my friends' jobs threatened every time I saw him? People seem to think that I was sleeping with him because I enjoyed it. Why didn't anyone think of me? Why didn't anyone ask if I was okay? Jimmy said that the behaviour was so out of character for me that he regretted not tracking me down and asking me what the hell I was thinking. That's all well and good but I went to Japan and no one, _no _one, followed me there. No one."

"No one knew, T. How are they supposed to follow you if they don't know we're you went?"

"You knew. Even if I hadn't sent you that dumb letter you should have known-" Tessa breathed in deeply and shook her head when she realised what she was doing. "No. This isn't what I'm supposed to be talking about. It's not what happened to me it's what I did to you. This isn't your fault but here I am putting blame on you."

"This has to do with all of that," Rami spoke softly, holding her hands in his. "It's all part of the same thing."

Tessa bit into her lip as she thought of what to say next. There were so many points she wanted to cover but even the imaginary conversations she had had with him ended up jumping all over the place.

"I wasn't going to leave. I hated when you would tour internationally for two weeks – how was I supposed to move away without knowing when I'd get to see you again?" She smiled at him softly, thinking back not to the times he was gone but to when he returned and how happy she was to see him walk through the airport gates. "I didn't think it was going to be worth it. I know that if I'd told Jimmy he would have told me that I was young and stupid, that no matter how much I thought I loved you I was only 22 and to pass up an opportunity to work in Japan because of a relationship would be the dumbest thing I've ever done. He proved me right last week when I saw him. You're one of his best friends but he didn't trust that you'd stay with me, you know? We were young. Relationships don't last when you're that young. I guess he's right. He got really cynical really quick because of a few bad relationships and he stopped believing in love, or he stopped believing in _long_ love. _That_ he's wrong about. I haven't seen you in 5 years but I love you as much as I did when I left."

Rami didn't look as taken aback as she expected. In fact, he was so unfazed by the statement that the question he followed with sent Tessa into a small state of shock.

"What about Yujiro? Shelley was pretty sure that you'd moved on."

"I love Yujiro," she said with a slow nod, "I do. But I also love Alex and PAC and Shinsuke Nakamura-" Rami laughed under his breath, "-I love a lot of people for a lot of different reasons. If I hadn't been signed, if I hadn't ever come back to America, I probably would have married him. I loved him enough to. I did come back, though, and we broke up because of it, and then I saw you. You slammed the door in my face but I realised that it was always you. I would have married Yujiro because I was able to convince myself that it would have helped me get over you. How terrible a person does that make me? I think he knew, too."

Rami remained silent and Tessa didn't blame him. She wouldn't have known how to respond to that. She struggled when she'd had a similar talk with Alex the night before she returned to the States.

She opted for a different path, something that had been playing on her mind since Claudio told her that it might have all been in her head.

"I run away from conversations with you because I don't know how to be around you if I can't hug you, or kiss you, or just look at you like you're the most important thing in my life. C kept telling me over and over that you didn't hate me but I didn't want to believe it. It would be _so much easier_ if you just hated me. Then I would know that there was literally no chance of ever getting you back. But you don't hate me," she muttered, looking down at her hands. Rami had never let go. "So, no matter how stupid it is, I'm going to keep thinking I have a chance."

* * *

><p><em>-Monday Night Raw, April 28-<em>

_Less than one week out from Extreme Rules we finally have a Divas Title match on the card. Summer pinned the champion in a six-Diva tag-team match tonight and in a backstage segment later in the show she was told that it meant a title shot. Her excitement was quickly cut short when Stephanie McMahon reminded her that the PPV was called 'Extreme Rules' and said that she wouldn't be facing Tia one-on-one. Tia didn't look very happy when she accompanied Sami Zayn to his match after the announcement was made._

_The match itself was of average quality and it seems that Tia might be the problem in this scenario as she can't really get a hang of tag-team matches if she isn't teaming with Eva Marie. It's strange for such a seasoned wrestler to still be struggling in certain match types but a Triple Threat match shouldn't be a worry. In Japan, Tia (wrestling as June) won a championship that was solely contested under Triangle (Triple Threat) conditions. I'm looking forward to finding out who the other opponent is._

_-Friday Night Smackdown, May 1-_

_The final competitor for the Divas championship was won in a Battle Royal match and Tamina came out victorious. Both Tia and Summer were on commentary for the match and both went dead silent when Tamina stared them down. The Battle Royal didn't last long with Tamina showing dominance throughout the entire match. Should be good to see the three different styles battle it out for the championship!_

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><p><strong>an I sort of based last chapter off an accident I had earlier in the year when I ran my car into a tree... Last week I got rear ended by a taxi. I got that part pretty spot on, actually. I have to tell you, though, that wasn't first hand experience I needed.**

**Thanks to _AmbreignsOrton, Imagineer1392, ajroleplays, UntilNeverDawns, CarolReigns_ and _Straight Edge Queen_ for taking the time to review the previous chapter!**

**If you want to read some super cute Rami/Tessa times, I wrote a Christmas fic called _Joyeux Noël_ and it's set back before Tessa did all the dumb stuff that she did!**


	30. Blood Stained and Broken

_Blood Stained and Broken_

-October 25, 2008; Edison, New Jersey-

_-Taped for ROH, Ring of Homicide-_

_1, 2, 3_

Tyler Black rose to his feet, a satisfied smile on his face. He ignored the referee's attempts to raise his hand and immediately went to the edge of the ring, sitting on the middle rope to let June Jacobs in.

The celebration was arrogant in every way, shape and form. June made no effort to avoid Jerry Lynn's body, kicking and stepping on him as she jumped up and down. Tyler grabbed her around the waist so that she collided with his chest. June smiled up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

It wasn't a rare occurrence by any means, people who watched ROH regularly had come to expect the passionate show of celebration put on by Tyler Black and June Jacobs, but this particular show was a little more heated than the previous ones.

Tyler wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her flush against him as they made out in the middle of the ring. The referee, despite his best efforts, wasn't able to convince them to separate.

Behind the acting, Tessa was reeling because of the kiss. Colby was holding her so close and kissing her so passionately that she was sure she would die due to a lack of oxygen. He always enjoyed playing with Tyler and June. They were rougher than their real life counter parts.

"And that's how it's done!" Tyler shouted when they finally parted lips. He was yet to let June go and was shouting over the top of her head. She smiled widely but was blushing furiously so she hid her face in his chest, squeezing him tightly.

* * *

><p><em>-Off Air-<em>

"Keep it a little more PG next time, for my sake, please," Jimmy groaned off when his sister walked back through the curtain. "I have a hard enough time with Generico sticking his tongue down your throat all the damn time."

"Just because you're currently getting less action than me," Tessa retorted. Her brother's lack of a girlfriend was her favourite way to piss him off.

Colby appeared behind her, his arm dropping over her shoulder. The action was casual, entirely normal. She moved around to hug him and tell him that the match was phenomenal.

"I'll see you in a bit," Tessa said as the boys disappeared to grab their bags. Her aim was to find Lacey and Allison for a quick girls' chat because she knew that it would be a few days before she saw either of them again.

She didn't make it far, though, before Claudio caught up to her.

"You need to sort something out."

Tessa took note of the seriousness in his tone and expression. She furrowed her brow and walked behind him, doing her best to match his pace. Every question she threw at him was ignored and it made her heart thump soundly against her ribcage. If something was happening in the locker room, Claudio was always more than happy to fill her in so his silence was filling her with nerves.

"The guys' locker room? C, what does this have to do with me?"

Her question was answered when Claudio pulled open the door, giving her a clear view of the argument taking place. Her stomach and jaw dropped simultaneously and she was left standing in the doorway while Claudio moved forward, helping Jimmy hold back Colby.

On the floor, Gabe was laying with a hand clutching his jaw. Colby was standing to the side, with blood dripping from his nose. Rami was sitting on the bench, staring at the ceiling and holding the bridge of his nose. Both Gabe and Colby had people around them to make sure they didn't throw anymore fists but Rami was without supervision.

Tessa didn't move from the doorway as Gabe clambered to his feet, using the wrestlers around him as supports.

"You're even more of a whore than I thought," Gabe snarled as he walked past, causing Tessa to bite into the side of her cheek.

Colby turned to the door after hearing Gabe speak and, with a deep breath through gritted teeth, he walked up to her. Tessa shrunk back against the door, watching Colby's eyes narrow.

"I never want to see you again."

Her heart plummeted into her stomach, making her feel more sick than she already did. He walked out the door, purposely trying his hardest to not touch her. Back in the locker room everyone was staring at her like she had three heads, all of them trying to work out just what had happened.

Jimmy looked the most confused, moving to stand in front of her. He was shaking his head.

"Who are you? Because you're certainly not my sister."

"Jimmy-" Tessa started to speak but he didn't even acknowledge it, just following Gabe and Colby from the room. Her lip began to quiver and her eyes began to well up with tears and when she looked back at Rami they began to fall.

He, too, started to walk towards her and she expected him to walk right past – she would have had she been in that situation – but he stopped a few feet from her.

"Why?" he asked quietly and suddenly the people around them were busying themselves with other things, pretending they weren't listening.

Tessa couldn't even think so she said the first thing that came to mind: "I love Colby, too."

Rami's face fell and Tessa saw something in his eyes that she never wanted to be the cause of – he was hurt so much more than she had ever seen him. She regretted saying what she had but there was no way of taking it back. Turning her back, Tessa all but ran from the room and towards the backdoor of the arena.

She was barely three steps outside when she leaned forward with her hands on her knees and vomited onto the concrete. She couldn't manage the energy to move her hair out of the way or lean forward just another inch to avoid vomiting over her boots. No one followed her out, no one came to check if she was okay and she didn't blame them.

* * *

><p>-October 26, 2010; Grand Rapids, Michigan-<p>

The first call came at half past 12. It was from Gary Juster – the Vice President of Operations for Ring of Honor. She had been expecting a call from someone within the company but it didn't make it any easier to be told that she was no longer required at the events she had been booked for. _That_ phone call didn't make any of the subsequent ones easier, either. Shimmer, Full Impact Pro, IWA Mid-South, All American Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla – literally every card she was booked for she had been pulled from.

By late evening, Tessa wasn't able to cry any more tears because it was all she had been doing in between phone calls.

"What am I going to do?" she asked herself, taking short, shallow breaths.

Wrestling was her only source of income – which she knew wasn't wise but looking for part time work had been put on hold – and it had all been taken away from her in a matter of hours.

In the madness of trying to plead with the bookers to let her stay on, she hadn't failed to notice the lack of calls she received from her anyone else. Not Rami. Not Jimmy. Not Colby. Not one person had tried to call her since she ran out of the building. Sure, it wasn't all too surprising but part of her had at least been expecting to get yelled at – for someone to ask her what the hell she was thinking doing what she did.

She called Rami first. It rang twice before it went to voicemail and she knew that he had rejected the call. When she tried Jimmy it didn't even ring. As she thought about calling Colby she realised that was the absolute last thing she should do.

Tessa pushed herself off the couch, wiped at her eyes, and walked towards her bedroom. Out of her closet she pulled her second suitcase and put it on the bed before hauling her main one off the floor. Rami had been on enough tours of Japan that she knew it wasn't quite the right time to make a call to anyone in the country but while she waited she was going to pack.

It was careless and quick, pulling everything off their hangers and pushing them haphazardly into the cases before throwing the hangers back into the closet. She pulled her other clothes from the drawers and put them on top. She didn't even know what she should take with her. What should she take to Japan if she didn't plan on coming back?

* * *

><p>-November 1, 2010; Grand Rapids, Michigan-<p>

It had been just under a week. No one had called and Jimmy hadn't even come home. When she wasn't crying and thinking about just how badly she had messed up, Tessa was reorganising her suitcase and trying to package things to send via airmail to her new home.

The phone call had been too easy to make. The people at JWP Puroresu had been all too happy to hear that she wanted to join their promotion. Tessa nearly fell out of her seat when they said yes to her starting immediately.

Tessa dropped her house key on the side table before she locked the door behind her and pulled it shut. There was no use keeping the key when she was pretty sure it wouldn't be her house when she returned to the United States.

"Are you headed to New York or LA?" The taxi driver asked as he started the drive to Gerald R. Ford International Airport, via the post office.

"Pardon?" she asked, looking at his reflection in the rear-view mirror.

"In my experience," he said, glancing up at his mirror, "pretty girls like you heading to the airport with all their belongings are headed to one or the other to try and get a break in music or acting."

Tessa shook her head and looked down at the envelope she was holding in her hands. "I'm going to neither, actually. I'm actually going to Japan."

"Oh really? What's in Japan?"

"A job opportunity that I'd be stupid to pass up."

"Acting?"

"In a way," she said after a moment of thought. "I'm a professional wrestler, actually. Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, that sort of wrestling."

"That's a long way to go. Do you know anybody over there?"

Tessa took a deep breath and sighed, "Not yet, no. I'm really starting afresh."

"What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Tessa."

"Okay, Tessa, I'll tell you what: I'm going to keep you in my prayers. I'm sure you've got a lot of people thinking about you but it can never hurt to have one more."

"Thank you," she smiled despite how bad she was feeling. "That means a lot."

They pulled up the post office and Tessa got out of the taxi and stood in front of the mailbox for a good few minutes before she pushed the letter into the slot. It wasn't going to be enough but it was all that she could give.

The taxi driver continued the chitchat on the way to the airport and Tessa broke down in tears when he asked her why no one was coming to see her off. Through her sobs she was able to say that she didn't have anyone in her life who cared enough to. The realisation was too much for her. It only made her want to get to Japan sooner.

* * *

><p><em>Rami,<em>

_I know that this isn't enough, that this is a poor excuse for an apology and explanation but I don't know how to give you anything better. You'll never understand just how sorry I am for what I've done or how bad I feel. I never wanted to hurt you but I know that I did and I wish I could take that back. I wish I could take back everything._

_I'm taking the JWP job. You're the only one who knows about the offer so it felt right that you should know that I accepted it. I don't expect you to do anything with this information but it's yours if you want to share it._

_Never stop dreaming and never forget that you deserve the world._

_Your habibti,_

_Tessa._

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><p><strong>an many, many thanks to _Westie86, Guest, UntilNeverDawns, CarolReigns, naivemelody, Imagineer1392, Straight Edge Queen, lookitsria _and _Livin on the EDGE_ for reviewing!**


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